Things Will Not Be As They Seem
by beautifullywicked13
Summary: One day Hades, the tormented God of the Underworld, is visited by the ever devious Fates. They tell him that in exactly eleven years time he will find his one true love, Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, who turns out not to be everything she seems to b
1. Chapter 1

Things Will Not Be As They Seem

Prologue

Lord Hades sat upon his throne for what seemed like eternity before the Fates arrived.

"Lachesis, Clotho, and Atropos, how marvelous it is to see you after all these years of nothing but whispers." Hades couldn't help but say this bitterly. He still hated them for bestowing this lightless realm upon him.

"Lord Hades, we have come here to tell you a prediction that has great significance pertaining to you and your realm. But if you do not wish to hear it, you only have to say so," Lachesis said in a sickly sweet voice that only held far too many unanswered questions within it.

"I apologize, ladies for the lack of respect within my previous statement. Please, do tell me what stirs amongst the threads of fate these days."

"Only the answers to all of your questions, and doubts."

"You have my upmost attention."

The Fates turned away from Hades in order to grasp at the threads of destiny. Upon gathering the thread within their hands they slowly but surely began weaving it through their fingers, speaking all the while. "In eleven years' time, a girl born of light will stumble onto your path. She will be beautiful, virtuous, and admired by all. But things will not be as they seem. She will possess great power, and strength; which she will use to her advantage. Gaining revenge upon the one who took from her what should not have been taken, and to protect those she loves most. It will be at her weakest time in which you will meet her. What happens next we cannot say. However, in order to help you understand what will happen we will tell you this. No matter what you do you will not be able to resist her, and eventually she will become your queen."

Dumbfounded, Hades sat silently for a long moment until he finally found his voice. "How? How will I know who she is?"

"Just look towards the light." At this Hades frowned un-amused by their sarcasm. The Fates cackled then said, "Or perhaps at the one holding the hilt of the sword pointed at your throat."

Hades could not control the surprised look that suddenly claimed his face. Never before had the Lord of the Underworld ever been threatened, and he certainly couldn't ever imagine it happening in the future. Especially by a girl who undoubtedly would have lived her entire life within the confines of Mt. Olympus. Yet doubt still crept into his mind accompanied by the Fates' lingering words "things will not be as they seem".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

It was pitch black from where she was standing in the enchanted woods that surrounded her house on the isolated island of Crete at midnight. The only sense that still retained its ability was sound. And a good thing to for Persephone was sure that if she could not hear then something dreadful would surely happen.

"NO! I can't think like that. Remember what Ares told you, Persephone, about what to do when hunting. Clear your mind, take a breath, and listen," Persephone thought to herself angrily.

Suddenly she heard a twig snapped to her right, and saw the black outline of a man shoot off into the forest. Without a moment's hesitation, Persephone shot off straight into the forest pursuing her quarry like any skilled hunter would. While racing through the forest weaving in and out of trees, Persephone almost lost sight of her mother's intended rapist.

"For without doubt my mother was exactly who Zeus wished to sedate his never-ending lust with on this secular night," Persephone thought, anger nearly blinding her vision. Unfortunately, it had always been that way. "Whenever Zeus got bored of his wife, Hera, he would always come looking for my mother."

Persephone and Zeus race into a clearing in the center of the forest.

"Ancient friends help me trap my foe so that I may banish his evil from these tender forests. Reveal him. Move. And cut off his exit," Persephone whispered to the trees, commanding them to do her will.

Upon hearing her command the trees began to converge all around them in order to block off any means of escape. Zeus shocked by the sudden disappearance of the path before him stopped running, and without hesitation took to the skies evading Persephone's revenge.

"You are not welcome here," Persephone screamed up at him, shaking with anger.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

A few days later at a party on Mt. Olympus, Hades found himself leaning against his favorite pillar in the back of the room, bored out of his mind as he watched the hypocrisy arise from the gods and goddesses around him.

"This party is a joke. Why did I even bother to leave the Underworld for this," he thought to himself all the while knowing the exact reason why he left the confines of the Underworld to attend a party at his most hated place. It was because of her. His queen, whom he has yet to meet, eleven years had since passed and Hades has yet to even receive a glimpse at the woman the Fates spoke of. He could hardly admit it to himself but frankly, he had spent the last eleven years hoping against hope that he would eventually find his queen and would finally not be alone anymore.

"And yet I am," he thought bitterly.

Persephone and Demeter arrive at Olympus late as usual. After walking into the crowded room, Persephone immediately scanned it with her eyes paying extra attention to Zeus' whereabouts. She was almost positive that since it was a public event he wouldn't try anything but still remained wary in an attempt to make sure that she kept extra close to her mother, who without a doubt was looking forward to meeting him again. Unfortunately for Persephone at that exact moment Ares approached them obviously looking towards Persephone with excitement.

"Ah, the lovely Persephone and the glorious Demeter, finally decide to grace us with your presence again at last. I must admit I was sorely missing yours when you gone, my dear Persephone," Ares said to them while bowing and giving Persephone's had a kiss.

"Why, Ares. It's only been a week," Persephone commented with a sweet voice, an award winning smile, and an inward cringe.

"Alas it has. But any week without you feels like a year."

"Uh huh. Sure it does. Gods, he's such an idiot," Persephone thought to herself.

"My dear Persephone, love, would you mind ending my loneliness by granting me a dance?"

Looking over at Demeter, who was smiling and nodding proudly, and then down at her hand which was still in his vice grip, Persephone thought "Like I have a choice" unhappily; then aloud said, "Of course Ares, nothing could ever bring me greater pleasure."

Determined to get the dance over and done with so she could return to her mother as soon as possible Persephone pasted on her best fake smile and walked out onto the dance floor with Ares, who at a glance was smiling like he had just won the Olympics. Once upon the dance floor, Ares eagerly wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her so close to him that in Persephone's mind they were practically one being. Before she could pull away, however, the music started, and Ares hauled her into the dance. After a silent moment he tried to recapture her attention because even though they were so close Persephone's full attention was directed towards her mother, trying to keep tabs on her whereabouts.

"So I hope you've had enough time to think over my proposal," Ares said, but due to the practically non-existent space between them he could have whispered and Persephone would have heard it as if he had yelled.

"Hum. Oh yes. Yes, I have," Persephone responded distractedly but after a glance at his face she resumed watching her mother.

"Good. Good I'm glad that you've thought it over. And your answer is," Ares asked smiling, and completely oblivious to her distracted state.

"Answer? Answer to what," Persephone said all the while trying to locate her mother, who seems to have disappeared within the short second it took to glance from her to Ares's face.

"Your answer to my marriage proposal, of course," Ares answered dismayed that she did not give an automatic yes as he had expected.

"Oh right. Of course. That proposal," she said offhandedly while still scanning the room trying to locate her mothers' and Zeus' position within the room to no avail for it seems they both had disappeared.

"Yes, that proposal. And your answer is," he exclaimed seriously, as well as disappointed for clearly she was no longer as excited about this as he was.

"Look Ares. I really need to find my mother right now. I'm sorry." Persephone broke away from Ares and dashed into the crowd quickly, not looking back to see if he would follow.

"Love, why do you need to find her now? I'm sure she's safe," Ares said grabbing her arm, encircling her in his grip ensuring she was locked solid in his embrace while placing a hand on her face to force her to look at him.

"Yes. I'm sure she is. But I would feel far better if I knew where she was," she said once again breaking away from the embrace easily and resumed searching for her mother.

"Then let us go find Zeus. I'm sure he will be able to reassure even you of her safety," he replied while holding onto her hand tightly.

However, Persephone, who had no intentions of finding Zeus unless she absolutely had no other option, broke away from Ares again all the while saying, "I have a better idea. Why don't we split up? You can go find Zeus while I search for my mother that way we'll cover twice as much territory in half the time."

"Sounds fantastic, love," he exclaimed with a smile as he leaned forward to lightly kiss Persephone on the lips. But before he could even make contact she had already turned her back on him walking swiftly into the hall.

While she was making her way towards Mt. Olympus' entrance gate, Hermes suddenly flew in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Persephone! Persephone, wait! I have news from Zeus," he said, landing in front of her.

Upon hearing such a statement Persephone stilled waiting silently for Hermes to pass on the news.

"Yes," she uttered, raising a delicate brow.

"Zeus has asked me to tell you that Demeter is safe in her home, and that there is no reason for you to fret for it would be best for all if you rejoined the party," Hermes stated, proud that he had relayed the message Zeus deemed vitally important.

"Is that so? Well then thank you Hermes for passing on that bit of information. Now if you'll excuse me I would like to continue on my journey home," she said while pushing her way passed Hermes.

Surprised at her reaction Hermes flew in front of her cutting off her every step so as not to let her leave while saying, "But Zeus told me that you should not leave the party."

Livid now that Hermes was preventing Persephone from finding her mother she grabbed Hermes by the hem of his tunic, and pulled him down to her eye level taking the young god by surprise. Then whispering vehemently she threatened, "Now Hermes. I'm going to give you ten seconds to tell me exactly where Zeus and my mother are. And if you don't then I swear by the River of Styx that I will bury you so far down in the ground that the Earth's core will incinerate your sorry ass! So if I were you I would start speaking."

Terrified by this side of the gentle spring goddess, Hermes quickly told her everything. After Hermes had divulged any and all information to Persephone the god swiftly escaped her grip, and took off not looking back to see her reaction.

Persephone was still for a moment frozen from the information. Then without another moments' hesitation she took off into the night.

From his spot in the corner of the room Hades was still gazing lazily at the gods and goddesses within it. But suddenly out of the corner of his eye, he saw her. His queen. Hades quickly turned to look upon her and was not disappointed by what he saw. Hungrily, he took in her fiery red hair, her milky unblemished white skin, her voluptuous curves, as well as her perfectly upturned nose, full cherry colored lips, and bright green eyes. He had never seen such eyes. Even from his spot by the wall he could tell that they were wide with little flecks of gold. And then she smiled. Watching as her eyes filled with happiness, and her full lips spread back to reveal straight white teeth, Hades couldn't contain the gasp that escaped from his mouth.

"She's just as beautiful as the Fate's described," Hades thought to himself as he mused over the description he had managed to acquire from the Fates after practically saturating them with all of his charm he could summon. Needless to say, after he had gathered this little tidbit of information from them, they were not happy. For the Fates are not supposed to reveal anything about the future, but for Hades they didn't seem to mind letting a few details slip here and there.

With envious eyes, Hades watched as she was led onto the dance floor with Ares' arm securely wrapped around her. Clearly arrogant that he had gained the attention of the most beautiful goddess in the room despite Aphrodite's presence. Daring a quick glance, Hades watched with amusement as the Goddess of Love literally become rigid with envy, glaring at Persephone with a hate that could only rival Hades himself. Looking back at Persephone, he couldn't help but feel jealousy arise within his chest as Ares practically squished the little goddess against himself. But suddenly in the time it took Hades to blink she had gone from a tender calm to an absolute panic. Thinking that Ares had said something to frighten the girl, Hades eyes began to glaze over in anger but before he could confront the God of War she had already started away from her partner practically leaving him in the dust. Hades had to admit he was intrigued. Never before had he been to a party where Ares was left by his female counterpart. So he followed her.

By the time he had caught up with her, she was already walking towards Mt. Olympus' entrance hastily. But before he could reach her Hermes suddenly appeared in front of the Spring Goddess cutting off her escape. Not wanting to be seen by the messenger, Hades quickly slipped the helm of invisibility onto his head so he could discreetly listen in on their exchange. But unfortunately for him he was too far away to effectively overhear their whispered conversation, and he had no way of getting closer without the hyper alert goddess noticing him. Giving up on the hope of hearing their entire discussion he decided to watch them instead. Expecting the conversation to be nothing of interest, Hades was surprised when the seemingly innocent Goddess suddenly and forcefully latched onto Hermes' tunic and dragged him down to her eye level. Then he heard her threat, and boy was he impressed. Personally he never thought that someone so little and delicate could ever hold her own. At least not against the tall muscled Hermes especially since when next to each other he was twice her size and possibly three times her weight. Amazed, Hades reminisced back on all of the threats he had heard in his extensive life span yet no one but him had ever given such a severe threat before, and when he saw Hermes hightail it back to the party he knew her threat was well received. But to Hades' concern the goddess didn't return to the party like he had expected her to. It seemed that whatever Hermes had relayed to her must have been important to the goddess for seconds after Hermes had returned to the party, she shot off into the night and disappeared. But not before Hades could follow her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

It was dark outside and even more so under the cover of the forest. Persephone was nearly frantic now that she knew her mother had in fact left the party with Zeus despite the painful consequences the action would have. But a few hours have passed since their departure and anything could have happened to her mother by now. She should never have left her mother's side. "It was far too dangerous to leave Demeter alone to gallivant as she pleased," Persephone thought. She knew this only far too well, for the last time she had left her mother alone Persephone found Demeter beaten and broken in their old living room with Zeus nowhere to be found. That night Persephone had made a promise to herself that she would never leave her mother unprotected again; for Demeter couldn't be trusted to stay out of trouble.

Suddenly Persephone realized that she was being followed. So without breaking her stride she changed course heading to the very clearing where she had chased Zeus off the other night. And just like the previous night she once again called upon the trees to uplift themselves so she could hide.

Hades was following the girl quite easily. In fact he was almost bored. But suddenly she changed directions catching Hades off guard, and soon after he lost sight of her. "It's like she's aware of my presence. But how could that be for as of this very moment I'm wearing the helm of invisibility," Hades thought confused. Then continuing in the direction he had last seen her he burst into a small clearing, but the girl was nowhere in sight. Hades stilled, rooted to where he was by a tree at the edge of the forest, listening for any movement.

Persephone burst into the clearing and fluidly climbed into the branches of the tree closest to her in order to take cover. Perched on a semi low hanging branch she watched and waited. It didn't take long for her victim to appear. However, to her dismay, she couldn't actually see him though she could definitely hear him. Whoever he was he was breathing rather loudly compared to her silent respiration. She could tell that he was standing by the tree she was hiding in. Quickly and quietly she slithered down from her perch taking with her the sword she had stored there only days before. Once on the ground she stood up and pointed the sword to where she thought his throat to be. Then spoke.

"You know it's rather easy to make oneself appear invisible. But to do so completely is almost entirely impossible. And rather redundant wouldn't you say since at this particular moment you just so happen to have a sword pointed at your throat."

Lord Hades was entirely in shock. Not a god on this planet has ever spotted him when he was wearing the helm of invisibility, and now, here he was standing in a clearing with a sword pointed at his throat. But just then the goddess spoke, and he was mesmerized. As he listened to her speak he remembered what the Fates had told him eleven years ago, and hope filled the cavity of his chest. His queen was standing right beside him holding a sword to his throat just like he had been told would happen. Slowly Hades removed the helm of invisibility off of his head.

Persephone's eyes widened as she took in the appearance of the god in front of her. He was practically everything a goddess could ever want. He was tall, dark, and extremely handsome, and if she were any other goddess she would have melted right then and there. But unfortunately she wasn't, therefore meaning that at this particular moment in time Mr. Tall Dark & Handsome was keeping her from finding her mother so Persephone got right to the point.

"Alright I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you're Lord Hades, correct?"

Hades was surprised once again. She knew his name. Hades' heart couldn't help but skip a beat as she said it.

"You would be most correct. And you are?"

"Persephone." She didn't know why she told him. She just felt like she had to.

"Persephone," he whispered to himself. "Well then Persephone what might one as young and beautiful as yourself be doing out here and not at the party on Mt. Olympus?" Hades asked this question out of curiosity. Yes, he had known that she was looking for her mother; he had overheard that when she was talking to Hermes, but why? What was it about her mother's safety that caused her so much panic?

"The reason as to why I am here and not at the party is my own. And I don't have the mind to share it. Now why were you following me," she stated cautiously, uncomfortable with the fact that he had pointed out that they were alone. She could tell that should he feel inclined to he could easily overpower her. And yet he did not.

Hades was disappointed. He was hoping that she would share with him the secret as to why she so scared. And scared she was though he could see her trying to hide it, but her eyes gave her away. He had a feeling that her eyes always expressed her emotions even when her expression did not. However, now Hades was afraid. What was she so frightened of? Surely it wasn't him. After all she was the one holding the sword to his throat.

"I am merely trying to help."

"Help? How could you possibly help me," she asked haughtily even though secretly she was curious as to why the Lord of the Underworld would even concern himself. From what she knew about him she could tell that he kept to himself, and didn't like to become involved in the problems of others. "So why is he trying to help now? He couldn't possibly know anything about my mother. Could he," she thought.

"I would like to help assist you in your endeavor to find your mother."

Confused Persephone lowered the sword from his throat for by now she could see that he was of no threat to her. However, being unused to help in any shape or form she denied his help by saying, "I'm afraid Lord Hades that I must deny your assistance. For my mother is not lost but in fact at home. So if you don't mind I will be heading that way myself."

Hades was dismayed by her denial of his assistance yet at the same time relieved she had finally lowered the sword. But now that he had found his queen, and surely she was meant to be his queen, and he was no longer perceived as a threat to her, Hades had no intention of letting her go no matter what.

"How about I accompany you home? Surely, you could use the company," he stated eager to spend time with her.

"I don't think so. As I've already told you, Lord Hades, my mother is at home, and I most certainly do not need your assistance in finding it. Now if you'll excuse me." Without a moment's hesitation, Persephone took off into the forest heading straight for her home sword in hand. She didn't look back.

Befuddled as to why Persephone had refuse his company Hades didn't have time to stop her as she shot of into the forest leaving him standing there alone. "Persephone. Wait," Hades called out after her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Persephone frantically ran towards her house with sword in hand, knowing that her mother and Zeus were inside. Flinging the door open Persephone heard a scream erupt from her mothers' bedroom. Wasting no time Persephone ran to her mothers' doorway, and stilled as she saw her mother bloody and broken on the floor with Zeus hovering over her. As swiftly and quietly as any predator Persephone ran over towards them, and with all her strength pushed the bigger god off of her mother. Then crouching beside her mother Persephone said, "Mother. Mother. Can you hear me? Mother!"

As Demeter slightly opened her eyes she looked at her daughter, she barely whispered, "Yes. Yes, Persephone, I can hear you."

But Persephone's relief was short lived because just then Zeus quickly regained his balance, and turned towards her. Before Persephone could protect herself, he grabbed a handful of hair and pulled; roughly dragging her backwards as he headed outside. Screaming, Persephone dug her nails into his hand and arm as Zeus dragged her backwards dropping the sword along the way. Once outside Zeus released her roughly. Frantically scrambling to her feet, Persephone ducked sideways as Zeus swung a punch at her, then in an attempt to catch him off guard, she pushed him with all her strength. But just as she turned around to face him, Zeus came at her again only this time his hand found purchase. Grabbing her arm and forcefully swinging her around, he then threw her to the ground. Crawling on her hands and knees, Persephone desperately tries to escape. Seeing this, Zeus pulls the small goddess by her hair, flipping her onto her back. However, before Zeus could clasp her throat, Persephone surprised him by punching him in the groin causing him to bend forward. Then hooking her legs behind his knees she knocked them out from under him, forcing Zeus to the ground as Persephone powerfully kicked him before scrambling to her feet, making a run for it.

Seconds later, Persephone heard Zeus give chase. Running as fast as possible, Persephone ripped through the forest at top speed with Zeus right behind her. Calling upon the trees to move once again, the goddess weaved between the trees, praying they would bend to her will. And they did. But to her dismay Zeus stayed right behind her despite her efforts. Looking ahead Persephone could see a clearing not but ten yards away, and recognized it as the very same clearing she and Lord Hades were in only minutes before. Praying he is still there, Persephone burst into the clearing searching for him desperately. He could be the only one to save her from what she was sure to be her demise. Upon reaching the clearing Zeus launched himself at her, grabbing ahold of her arm causing Persephone to scream and stumble. Without hesitating Zeus grabbed Persephone by the neck, lifting her off the ground as he choked her.

"I will not tolerate you interfering with my pleasure anymore, you insolent little bitch," Zeus raged; shaking her a couple times throughout his seething. After he said this he began to squeeze her neck harder as Persephone started to flail.

Hades watched dismayed and heartbroken as his queen sprinted into the forest leaving him staring after her when all he wanted to do was help her. "Doesn't she understand that? Doesn't she see that I love her? But how could she when after all she'd only met me for a grand total of approximately five minutes in her entire life. Most of which was spent with a sword pointed at my throat. Not exactly romantic," he thought to himself bitterly as he walked into the forest away from the clearing.

Still thinking to himself, Hades heard a scream erupt from the clearing he had just exited. Quickly turning around he ran into the clearing only to see Persephone, his queen, being choked by none other than Zeus himself. Angry, Hades ran toward them.

"Zeus! Drop her," Hades commanded furious beyond reason.

"Why should I? What concern is she to you," Zeus said, turning to face Hades with Persephone still in his grasp.

"I said drop her!"

Upon hearing this Zeus raised an eyebrow as he scanned Hades onceover with his eyes before dropping Persephone unceremoniously to the ground with a shrug. "Fine."

Hades watched as Persephone landed hard on the ground, coughing and breathing unsteadily on her hands and knees at Zeus' feet. Yet as he saw this Hades made no move towards the wheezing goddess not wanting Zeus to see just how much she affected him. With a swift glance at her, Hades turned to Zeus masking the pain and anger in his eyes so as to seem neutral.

Zeus looked down at the crumpled goddess at his feet, veiling the pleasure he got from finally seeing that damned girl in her rightful place before glancing over at his older brother. Concocting a plan that would enable him to get rid of the pesky little bitch and keep his neutral brother silent about this incident. After a minute he spoke.

"However, brother, you have now inconvenienced me. I was hoping to resolve a dispute between Persephone and I but you, forever being the gentleman, have so graciously interfered; therefore I have decided that if she means so much to you then she will now be your responsibility. Do with her what you will. Hell, even make her your queen if you care to. After all I do hear that she is rather talented in certain sensual arts. Perhaps even talented enough to please you, dear brother, but either way she is now your responsibility, and I will hold it to you to keep her out of my sights. Is that clear?"

During the entire speech Hades only grew angrier and angrier. He slyly stole a glance at Persephone when Zeus was talking, and saw that she was still having trouble breathing. It hurt him knowing that he could not help her; at least, not with Zeus looking.

"Crystal," Hades said in a deadly whisper.

"Good. Now take her. And remember I do not want to see her from this day forward," Zeus said with a smile as he kicked Persephone in the stomach before he took to the skies.

Hades ran towards Persephone after seeing Zeus fly off, and kneeled on the ground beside her. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders he helped her up into a sitting position. "Persephone. Persephone. Persephone, please. Look at me," he uttered in a gentle whisper. Slowly turning to face Hades, Persephone saw his eyes darken in anger. "How could he do this to you?"

"Rather easily, actually. It's not like he hasn't done it before," Persephone divulged in a deadly serious whisper, masking the pain she felt. She already knew from experience that she was going to have some serious injuries that would most likely take quite a bit of time to heal despite her goddess status. She needed to get back home. And soon if wanted any chance in covering up the bruises before her mother saw them.

"You mean to tell me that he's done this to you before," he seethed, his voice changing from gentle to angry while clenching his fists.

"Of course he has. And it's not like I'm the only one he's done it to. I'm just the only one that bothers to fight back, speaking of which I need to get back to my mother," Persephone exclaimed, attempting to stand despite the broken ribs and twisted ankle she knew she had and head back to her mother only to fall back down.

Hades stood up as well, smoothly catching her before she could hit the ground again. Clearly walking was not going to happen for her so he scooped her up into his arms. "I don't think so. You are coming with me." He was not about to let her out of his sight, and especially not if she was injured which she was. Just from looking at her, Hades could tell she had sustained several broken ribs, a twisted ankle, a severely bruised throat, not to mention all the scrapes and bruises littering her entire body. In fact with all of these injuries, Hades was surprised and relieved to see that she was still alive for surely her tiny frame couldn't handle so much abuse on top of the fact that she was so skinny she was practically on the verge of being sick. "Oh, no. You are definitely not leaving my sight ever," Hades vowed while he gently cradled her within his arms.

"Ah. No, I'm not. I am going back to check on my mother," she stated outraged while she tried fruitlessly to escape his grip, which she actually found quite comfortable not that you would ever get her to admit it.

"No. You are going down into the Underworld with me. Because if you don't Zeus will kill you," Hades stated reasonably. "And I cannot allow that to happen," he thought to himself, pressing her closer to himself in an attempt to obscure her from the view of anyone that might be watching.

"I don't care. If Zeus wants to kill me fine let him kill me. At least I know I did the best I could to protect my mother," Persephone countered angrily meaning every word she uttered. Her mother was her whole life and Persephone was not about to just leave the only connection she had left to her father unprotected.

"Your mother should be the one protecting you, Persephone. Not the other way around." Hades was beyond angry at Demeter for allowing Zeus to do whatever he wished to the one's that love her.

"But then again, Demeter has always been a rather selfish bitch. Even when she had Isaac by her side she couldn't seem to tear herself away from my deplorable brother. Sometimes she even made her betrayal of their marriage obvious as she escorted Zeus to his private rooms right in front of him," Hades thought disgusted by Demeter's actions. "And to be forced to live with that woman because no one else bothered to help." Hades sighed wishing with everything within him that he had stepped in to help Persephone all those years ago after her father, Isaac, had died.

"I don't care about how it's supposed to be! My mother is all I have. I can't just leave her unprotected!" Persephone was beyond furious. Her mother may not be much but she was all she had left to remember her father by.

"You don't have a choice. You must come to the Underworld with me. It's the only way I can ensure your protection."

"I don't care about my protection. It doesn't matter to me!"

"It does to me! It does to me," Hades exclaimed fiercely squeezing her as tightly as he dared with her injuries, knowing that even as he did this she would not understand why he cared for her.

Shocked, Persephone silently stared at him. "Why," she whispered her voice breaking.

"Because I love you," he declared gently.

"But you don't even know me."

"Oh, but I do." With Persephone still in his arms, Hades entered the Underworld via the secret cave he had carved long ago for this very purpose.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

After Hades had somehow managed to calm Persephone down to a point, he took her into his realm. With her in his arms, Hades evaporated to the bottom of the ramp leading to the River of Styx beside Charon's boat. Once there the ferryman made no comment as to who the girl in his masters' arms was, however, once settled comfortably with Persephone on his lap after some minor protest on her part Hades did see Charon glance at her curiously. But who could blame him? Never before had Hades had a woman accompanying him, especially not one as beautiful as Persephone. What with her long red hair, fair creamy skin, red lips, gracious body, and penetrating green eyes why anyone would stare. Hell, Hades himself could hardly seem to keep his eyes off her for more than a few seconds which in turn seemed to make Persephone all the more uncomfortable with her situation.

Once across the river Hades stood, thanked Charon for his service, and walked up the path towards his palace. However, right before he could step inside Cerberus, and all three of his heads, decided right at that moment to jump on Hades' back causing him to fall over, and drop Persephone on the ground.

"Stupid dog," Hades muttered.

Before Hades could right himself, Cerberus climbed off his master, and ran towards Persephone, who at that moment was still lying on the ground looking around for the cause of her sudden reacquaintance with the dirt.

"Ow. That hurt. Hades what was th…," she started to say as she groaned and set up on her elbows. But before she could finish, Cerberus leaped.

"Cerberus, no," Hades screamed while preparing for the worst only to be surprise when he heard Persephone laughing. Hades looked over at the two, delighted to see all three of Cerberus' tongues licking Persephone anywhere they could find purchase, his tail wagging enthusiastically. Slowly standing up Hades marveled at the sight before him. He had been so convinced that Cerberus was going to harm his precious Persephone or that she would be frightened by him, but instead he sees Persephone laughing as his animated dog rolls onto his stomach to let her pet him. Persephone laughs again and already Hades has fallen in love with the sound. Slowly walking towards her, Hades stretches out a hand to help her up. Persephone accepts his offer to his delight, however, to his dismay; her beautiful smile fell from her face. Hades bent forward in order to scoop Persephone into his arms wanting nothing more than to hold her close or at the very least to get her off of her injured ankle however, despite this reason Persephone protests by saying she was more than capable of walking. Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Hades reluctantly cuts his losses and settles for her hand. Once inside Hades immediately leads her straight to her bedroom which he conveniently placed across the hall from his.

"This will be your bedroom during your stay here."

Looking around the room, Persephone's eyes widened at all that she saw. There was everything one could ever need or dream of contained within this one room. The bed, obviously meant to be the focal point of the room, consisted of a tall four poster bed with a black frame, draped satin sapphire blue moth netting, and a matching bedspread. There was also a large black bookshelf covering an entire wall stuffed to the brim with books and scrolls, as well as an expensive steel vanity mirror that would never cease to make Aphrodite jealous, and several shelves covered with vase after vase full of her favorite flower, the narcissus, as well as two large windows overlooking a garden that any goddess would be envious of. Looking at the finery surrounding her, Persephone could hardly think of anything appropriate to say to Hades for his kindness. Finally, she timidly whispered, "Thank you. It's lovely" a small smile lighting her face.

Smiling back Hades said, "Your welcome, Persephone. I'm glad you appreciate it. I made it especially for you."

"What?"

Realizing that he had revealed too much, Hades hastily recovered by saying, "Nothing."

"No. No. No. What did you just say? Tell me," she demanded softly, not about to let him get away with it quite that easily.

"Persephone, I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did. I heard you."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Hades sighed before stating, "Persephone, it's been a long and eventful night for both of us. I think it would be good for us both to get some rest. For you especially because even though you're a goddess, you're a young one at that, and those bruises as well as the other injuries you have sustained will take a fair amount of time to heal. When you wake up, you and I will have ourselves a nice dinner together where we can then discuss the negotiations of your stay here. Okay?" wearily.

Persephone stared at him skeptically with pursed lips for a few moments before she said, "Fine. Sounds good."

"Good. Rest well, Persephone," he said relieved as he walked out of her room leaving her to her own devices. Hopefully, she would use this time to rest as he had suggested because he knew she dearly needed it. In just the short time it took to travel down to the Underworld, Hades could already see bruises on her skin darken, and her eyes turn fatigued. Even in the low lighting, he could clearly see she desperately needed rest, and then food so as to build up her strength.

Once safely out of her hearing range Hades quickly headed to the dining hall in order to begin making preparations for tonight's dinner. Even after the day they had just endured, Hades still wanted Persephone's first stay in the Underworld to be a special one. Something to show her just how much he cared how much he loved her. Oh, and did he love her. It was like a burning inside him that warmed him when she was near, and pained him when she wasn't. Even before he really knew who she was he could not keep his eyes off her. He felt the need to watch her, to follow her. And when he discovered that she really and truly was his, he couldn't believe it. How was it possible to love somebody so suddenly with all your heart? Hades had no answer for his own question but tonight he was going to make sure that Persephone saw his love. Tonight he was going to ask her to marry him.

Persephone watched tiredly as Hades exited her room. Once she thought he was safely out of hearing range, she turned slowly to head for the bathroom knowing that she would need to change out of her torn and matted clothes before she met up with him again for dinner. Reaching back in order to untie the straps on her dress, Persephone hissed as the action caused her bruised side to twitch, biting down on her lower lip hard enough to draw blood just barely repressing a scream. Breathing heavily, Persephone grew angry as she thought about the events that had led to her injuries.

"Damn Zeus to the darkest pit in Tartarus," she thought heatedly. "It wasn't enough that he had to rape my mother. Oh no. He had to go and try to kill me. And then when he couldn't do it he just forces me onto the one man my mother hates with a passion that rivals the sun itself."

Thinking of how she was forced to leave her mother unprotected only made Persephone angrier. Screaming, she grabbed the nearest vase she could reach, and threw it with all her strength against the wall, ignoring the pain the action caused as she watched it shatter and fall to the floor. Walking over to the next vase, she picked it up and threw it against the wall along with anything and everything she could find as her anger mounted. After smashing every single vase in sight and throwing every book and scroll off the shelf, Persephone turned to the giant vanity mirror. Storming up to it she punched at the glass, attempting to smash it to a thousand pieces all the while screaming, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" before succumbing to her tears and pain.

Walking out of his room, Hades headed for the dining hall only to stop when he heard a loud scream followed by a crash emanate out of Persephone's room. Fearing the worst, Hades raced across the hall towards Persephone's room and flung the door open in less than a second. Looking around the room for the source of the commotion, Hades saw the room in a state of disaster. All of the beautiful things he had designed for his queen were in ruins. Quickly, Hades searched the wreckage for Persephone, turning frantic when he found her curled up on the floor in front of the busted vanity mirror whimpering in pain. Rushing towards her, he didn't waste a thought on the broken glass scattered across the floor before he kneeled down beside her and gently gathered her into his arms, not wanting to disturb any of her injuries.

"Shh. It's okay, love. Everything's going to be okay," Hades muttered the nonsense into Persephone's ear hoping it would help calm the Spring Goddess down. Walking over to the bed, Hades sat down carefully placing her on his lap.

"No, it's not. Everything is not okay. After what happened tonight, everything is definitely not okay," Persephone sobbed shakily, wincing when the action hurt her throat. "I failed to protect my mother. I failed to protect my home. And now because of Zeus, I'll never see either of them again. I've lost everything."

Hades sat quietly listening to everything she said, gently stroking her hair trying to soothe the broken goddess, his heart wrenching in his chest with every sob. If he ever got his hands on Zeus again he was going to make him pay for this. Moving his hand underneath her chin, Hades gently tilted her head up until she was looking him in the eyes. Then using his thumb he carefully wiped the tears on her cheek, speaking as he did so.

"No, love. No. You have not lost everything. And you most definitely did not fail anyone. You did everything possible to save your mother, putting yourself in a lot of danger in order to do so. But you have to remember that Demeter chose to go with Zeus. She allowed him to do those things to her even though she knew the consequences of her actions. If anything she failed you. By allowing her selfishness to get in the way of your protection she has allowed the only person left on this planet that cares for her to be harmed. And as such you have done nothing wrong. Demeter made her decisions and you made yours. Now, please Persephone don't cry. It hurts me to see you sad," Hades declared gently. He meant every word he uttered as he looked down at the crying goddess in his arms. Not that he could really blame her for her tears because in the end she was right. Persephone really had lost her home today but then again she had also gained the chance to live. Leaning forward he gently pressed a kiss to her forehead before returning to stroking her hair as he felt her begin to shake her head in denial.

"No. No, she…," she sobbed.

"Shh. Now, how about I draw you a nice bath before you get some rest, okay," Hades muttered in the hopes of distracting her from her argument. To his delight it worked. After Persephone whispered a tentative "okay" Hades softly set her back on the ruined bed before making his way into the exquisitely decorated bathroom.

"Thank goodness, she didn't make it into here otherwise I would have an even bigger mess to clean up," he thought to himself looking around at the decisively ornate bathtub. After turning on the water and adding some bubbles he knew were made specifically to relax and heal injuries, he walked back into the disheveled bedroom grabbing a bathrobe along the way. Looking at the bed he saw that Persephone had not moved from her spot, and was watching him through speculative eyes.

"Here wear this. You'll be more comfortable," he said while holding out the robe.

Moving from her spot on the bed, Persephone carefully walked over and took the garment before saying, "Thank you."

"I'll leave you to your business then," he said turning to leave the room to give her some privacy.

"Wait," Persephone called before Hades could leave. Upon hearing her cry, Hades stopped and turned to face his queen.

"Yes, love?"

"I…ah…I need your help in getting my dress off. I can't reach the straps," she confessed embarrassed at having to admit a weakness.

"Oh." A blush rose across his cheeks but he dutifully walked over to assist her. Careful not to touch her, Hades quickly undid the straps turning his head in order to protect her modesty. But not before seeing the large dark bruises littering her body. Hades tentatively stroked a bruise as his anger began to override logic, causing Persephone to still instantly. Stepping back, Hades muttered a silent sorry before turning away once again.

"That's okay," Persephone sighed as she quickly covered herself with the robe, heading straight towards the bathroom without a backwards glance.

Once Persephone was out of sight, Hades swept his arm across the room, watching dispassionately as everything was replaced back to its former glory. Then softly he knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yes," Persephone asked upon hearing the knock, covering up the hiss that escaped her throat as she painfully waded into the water.

"Persephone is everything alright in there," Hades inquired.

"Yes. Yes, everything is fine," she lied, muffling the sob that emitted from her mouth.

"Alright. In a few minutes time I'm going to send someone in to assist you. Would that be alright," he exclaimed, not really caring if she approved or not because despite what her answer would be he was going to do it anyway.

Sighing, Persephone whispered, "Yes, that would be fine" knowing full well that no matter what she said he was going to do it anyway.

"Alright, I'll see you in an hour or two." And with that Hades reluctantly left Persephone to her own devices as he quickly tracked down Diana, his most trusted servant, and directed her to go assist his queen. After swiftly giving her his orders, he sent her on her way, wishing the entire time that it was he and not she that would be the one assisting Persephone.

Sighing and shaking his head, Hades went about his business, knowing full well that there was a lot to accomplish before tonight.

An hour or two later when all the preparations were finished, the only task Hades had left to complete was to bring Persephone in. Hades walked slowly towards Persephone's bedroom door simply to give her a few more minutes of alone time. Upon reaching his destination, Hades knocked twice.

No answer.

He knocked again.

Again, no answer was given. Anxiously, Hades inquired, "Persephone is everything alright in there?"

Once again, Hades received no answer.

"Alright, I'm coming in," he said, opening her door. Walking into Persephone's bedroom silently, Hades scanned the room searching everywhere for her. He found her on the bed curled into a little ball fast asleep. Hades smiled at this for it was by far the cutest thing the King of the Underworld had ever seen. Leaning down to whisper in Persephone's ear_, _Hades said, "Wake up, Persephone. Wake up."

Persephone began to stir. As she stretched on her bed Hades never thought such a mundane action could ever be so sensual, however, she then promptly rolled over smacking him in the face in the process, abruptly ending his pleasure. Persephone, now fully awake, shot up. Then upon looking at the expression on his face she smiled and laughed while apologizing, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Hades. I didn't know you were right there. I'm sorry."

"Ow. That hurt," Hades stated blandly while holding his nose.

Persephone laughingly replied. "Well, that's what you get for trying to wake me up."

"Oh, and the four knocks that just so happened to be accompanied by several yells didn't do that for you," he muttered sarcastically.

"Nope."

"Well dinner is ready. Are you," he asked a small smile finding its way onto his face.

"Yes. Obviously," Persephone stated while gesturing to herself. As Hades looked her over he couldn't help spending more time than necessary staring at certain areas. With a quick glance at her face he saw her raise an eyebrow. Blushing a little Hades, and Persephone exited the room together making their way towards the dining hall silently. Upon reaching it Persephone abruptly stopped in her tracks, looking around a hurt look claiming her face. But before Hades could ask she was making her way to her seat, sitting down before he could assist her with the chair. After Hades was seated dinner appeared and so did our conversation.

"So," Persephone stated tartly.

"So," Hades replied fluidly.

Rolling her eyes she said, "So the negotiations pertaining to my stay here involve what exactly."

Hades sighed. He really had hoped, a fool's hope, that they might be able to avoid this particular conversation tonight. He did not want to remind her or himself of the conditions of as to why she was, and certainly did not wish to leave her under the impression that she was his prisoner. But Hades replied rather reluctantly anyway. "They involve rules and requirements."

"Such as?"

"Such as that you are to reside here in the Underworld, and call this place your home for that is what it is now. You are forbidden to exit the palace grounds without me or my consent. Frankly, I would like to know where you are at all times for my kingdom as you can see is far different from your sunny world above. Down here in the dark, unfavorable creatures lurk and they will not hesitate to hurt you simply because you are a goddess. However, everything inside the palace grounds is available to you should you need anything at all. And obviously, my servants are at your disposal, and so am I. Does that cover everything?"

"No. It doesn't. While you have managed to cover the basics, you have still left out a rather important detail."

"Which is?"

"Marriage. Up above after Zeus was done strangling the life out of me, he mentioned that you could make me your queen should you feel inclined to. My question is; is that what you expect from me?"

"Persephone, I would never force you to do anything against your will. Let alone marry me if you did not wish to. Do you really think of me as such a monster?"

"No, Hades, I do not think of you as such. It's just life for me hasn't exactly been easy," Persephone said, thinking back on all the times she had heard those very words only to find out that they weren't true.

"Persephone, I would never do anything to hurt you. You have my word. I honestly couldn't live with myself if I did. I love you. I would never hurt you," Hades declared gently but with an undertone that told Persephone he wasn't kidding.

"You love me. You love me. You don't even know me. How in the world could you ever love me," Persephone inquired incredulously.

"Persephone, I've been in love with you for eleven years if not longer."

"How? I've never even met you until today!"

"Persephone, I've been in love with you for eleven years because eleven years ago the Fates came to me and told me that someday I would finally get the chance to meet you; that on the same day, I would fall in love with you, and eventually I would make you my queen. Ever since then, I have been waiting for you without patience hoping for the day you would come to me. So we could be together once and for all." Hades finished, a little smile gracing his face as he gently cupped her face.

"Is that what you really think will happen? Huh? That you can just tell a story and design a room specifically for me, and make me dinner, and I'll just fall in love with you. Is that honestly what you thought would happen? Or did you just think I was just that easy? And you know what, while we're sitting making confessions why don't I just tell you exactly why that will not be happening. One, because I have never met you before in my life. Two, because within the short amount of time that I've known you, you have managed to take me away from everything I have ever known, and held dear, and three, because I hate you with a passion that could rival Zeus himself!" As she was speaking Persephone had risen from her seat next to Hades angrily, effectively ending the contact they had only moments before.

Outraged, Hades fumed, "You hate me? I saved your life. If it wasn't for me you'd be dead."

"I never asked for your help."

"I gave you my help because I knew you needed it. I did it because I care about you."

"Why? Why in the world, would you care? There are far more other people out there who deserve it a lot more than I ever do," Persephone exclaimed, tears filling her eyes yet refusing to fall. Nobody had ever cared about what happened to her, not Ares, and definitely not her mother.

"Persephone, don't ever say that. You will always first and for most have my love."

"No! No, I don't. Take that back," Persephone screamed, tears spilling onto her face.

"I can't," he whispered calmly, his face going pale.

"And why not?"

"Because I love you!"

"You don't even know me," she whispered defeated, sitting back down.

"Yes, I do. I know that you're the Goddess of Spring, daughter of Demeter and Zeus; that because of your mother you choose to reside on earth instead of Mt. Olympus. That you enjoy reading, and writing, and love to grow flowers able to survive in the dark when you think no one's looking. I know that you're extremely protective of your mother because she's been hurt, and I also know that you've been hurt too. Persephone, I know that someone did something to you that changed your life forever. That's what I know."

"How do you know about that? No one else in the world knows about that besides me, and my mother. How is it possible that you do," Persephone demanded outraged. Hearing everything Hades' had said was stirring a very painful memory through Persephone's mind. Unwillingly she thought back to the day it all happened.

It was nighttime and Persephone and her father, Isaac, had just returned home from a very eventful day in the flower fields. They had been running, and practicing Persephone's fencing skills until the sun had begun to set. Together, father and daughter watched as the sky turned from flaming red to a tranquil blue as Apollo drove his chariot home from a long day of riding across the sky.

"It's so beautiful. One of the most beautiful things in the world," Isaac mused before turning towards his nine year old daughter. "Second, only to you and your charming mother, of course," the demigod said with a smirk on his face as he gave his most beloved daughter a hug.

"You're silly daddy," the nine year old Persephone said, thinking back on all the wonderful gifts and skills he had so kindly bestowed upon her, and that there was no smarter or powerful man, even though his demigod status was very meager indeed. Looking out across the field at all the wonderful flowers an urge to create one suddenly consumed the young child goddess. Closing her eyes, Persephone pictured an intricate white blossom sprouting out of the ground in her mind's eye, and sure enough, a few seconds later her blossom appeared in all its glory. Quickly wanting to show off her new creation, Persephone said, "Look, daddy. Look at the flower I made!"

"Oh, Persephone, darling it's wonderful," her father said, confounded by the fact that even though it was a pretty flower with no sunlight such a creation should not be possible. "However did you make it?"

"Like I usually do. I just picture the flower within my head, and it appears like always," she explained. "How else am I to make a flower," Persephone thought rolling her eyes, completely missing the point for his confusion.

"But darling, it's night. Don't you need sunlight in order for plants to grow?" Never before had Isaac seen a flower bloom at night. He had been told by Demeter that such an occurrence was impossible because the photosynthesis process needed to create food for the plant could not preform when light was not readily available, thus meaning that Persephone couldn't possibly be able to create such a lovely bloom, couldn't it? Demeter certainly couldn't create flowers in the dark. Oh no. And even if she could he doubted she ever would, for the Goddess of the Harvest hated the dark.

"Huh. I never thought of that. Mommy never makes flowers in the dark. Maybe I'm special, and can do things mommy can't do." Dismissing the point now that she had found an answer which satisfied her, Persephone turned back to the field. Closing her eyes, she pictured the field filled with blossoming spring buds. When she heard a gasp, she opened her eyes only to see the field overflowing with flower after budding flower. Smiling, she looked up into her father's stunned face.

"Maybe," Isaac muttered, astonished by the sight before him. Standing up the demigod swept his daughter into his arms causing the young playful goddess to giggle uncontrollably. Turning away from the field full of now blooming buds he headed towards home, knowing full well that even though his wife would not be happy that he had no other option other than to tell her of the night's surprising occurrence.

Upon quickly reaching his destination, Isaac set his daughter down as he walked through the threshold. Calling out to his wife, he swiftly went to her side to discussion what he had just seen.

"Demeter, dear, you will not believe what Persephone just did!"

"What? What is it, darling," Demeter anxiously inquired, looking around for her wayward daughter hoping against all hope that Persephone didn't go and do something radical like grow flowers in the dark.

Walking into the room Persephone exclaimed her profound talent. "I created a flower that can survive in the dark, mommy!"

Rolling her eyes, Demeter snidely replied, "That's impossible, darling, flowers can't survive in the dark, you know that."

"No, I really did," she stated, thrusting the flower in her hand into her mother's face.

Looking down with fearful eyes, Demeter perused the surface of the bloom in front of her. Eyes widening, she took in the profound beauty and shape of the delicate bud before tentatively whispering, "You created this?"

"Yes, she did," Isaac answered proudly. "And not just that single flower but fields and fields of them."

Fear filled Demeter's gut as she heard the blasphemy emanate from her husband's mouth. Shaking her head, she looked in between her daughter's eager face and the flower in her hand. Inspecting it closely, Demeter could see it was far beyond the complexities and beauty she was able to create, and sensing the magical signature stemming from the delicate individual, Demeter could not doubt that it was created by her daughter.

Turning to Persephone, Demeter spoke in a low voice, "Persephone, dear, tell me the truth, did you create this flower?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Like I usually do, mommy. Picture it in my mind then release the image into the Earth."

Taking a deep breath, Demeter closed her eyes as she crushed the bud between her fingers, effectively absorbing the spirit into her magical core. Ignoring her daughters surprised gasp, she demanded in a sickly sweet voice. "Persephone, I don't ever want you to create this abomination ever again. Do you understand me?"

Unable to stay quiet any longer, Isaac cut off what Persephone was about to say by exclaiming disbelievingly, "Demeter, how can you demand such a thing. It's just a flower."

"Just a flower? Just a flower? How can you even think that this thing deserves to be called a flower? It is an abomination upon this Earth, Isaac, and I, for one, will not stand by and let it corrupt the innocent!"

"You're only saying that because you don't have the power to create a flower as complex and beautiful as this."

"Are you implying I'm jealous of my daughter's abilities?"

"Yes, and you fully well know it. Gods know that should you hold such a unique and limitless power these buds among countless others would have been spread across the Earth in a heartbeat. But since you do not, you have to defer to your daughter."

"Persephone is nothing but an imaginable child. She was only able to create these flowers by chance, and I highly doubt that she will ever be able to duplicate them."

"An imaginable child our daughter maybe, Demeter, but she is one with unlimited and distinctive power that most likely extends far beyond your abilities as the Goddess of the Harvest and as her mother. Where your power can only be used during daylight, Persephone's can be used at night as well as day, and where you can only influence new and young growth, Persephone can influence both old and new as well as the dead and the living."

Demeter's eyes widened and her mouth gaped in horror at this newfound information. Yes, she had always known that her daughter was a little odd, but to influence the dead was a power reserved only for the darkest of deities. And her little flower could do that. "NO! NO, I will not allow that to happen. Persephone is a spring goddess which means she was to embody the characteristics of innocence and maidenhood, not develop the corrupt and seductive traits of the Underworld," she thought vehemently. Shaking out of her daze, Demeter looked around for her daughter, preparing to reprimand her for such behavior only to see that she was not in sight.

Looking at her husband, she could see that he was deep in thought, troubled by some worry or another. "Isaac," she snapped, effectively ending his line of thought. "Where is our daughter?"

"Right here, love….Persephone? Persephone?"

"You lost her!"

"No, I didn't lose her. She probably walked away tired of hearing our bickering. She's perfectly capable of doing that, you know."

"Yes. Yes, I know that she can walk. I do have eyes."

"Then why don't you use them for a change."

Glaring at her husband, Demeter quickly searched the house but to no avail. Persephone was not within.

"She must have left the house, then," Isaac murmured worriedly. He knew that Persephone was a bit of a free spirit and wouldn't wander far from the house, but still one could never be too safe with one's daughter now that Zeus was once again on the prowl.

"You think, Isaac. Honestly, I thought you were smarter than that."

Ignoring his headache of a wife, Isaac hurriedly went in search of Persephone with his sword drawn.

After seeking solace within the woods near her home, Persephone settled herself down into a small moonlit meadow playing with the small dagger Isaac always instructed her to carry as she waited for a suitable amount of time to pass before heading back home. Honestly her mother could be so ignorant at times that Persephone sometimes wondered how she had any followers at all.

"Maybe father's right, and she is just jealous. But that's. That's so stupid. The only logical reason as to why I have the powers that I have is because the Fate's wish for there to be balance within this aspect of nature. Surely mother knows that. Surely she knows that there's no reason to act un-accordingly," Persephone thought.

A few long moments later Persephone sighed and stood up to head back to her surely thoroughly panicked parents. But just as she was about to step out of the meadow an ominous figure appeared in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. Persephone waited with bated breath for the unknown character to move when she just couldn't take being under his scrutiny any longer she bolted around the man to no avail. But just when she believed she was out of reach she was grabbed around the waist and carried away.

Hours later Isaac finally found his daughter only to see the evidence of his biggest fear painted on her tiny little body. Gently he scooped up his frightened Persephone and took her home, his eyes scanning the night for the vial things that did this to his fragile daughter.

"I promise you Persephone that I will not rest until I have made that bastard suffer this I swear to you. I promise Persephone that this will never happen to you ever again for as long as I live," Isaac swore softly, his oath falling upon Persephone's deaf ears.

"The Fates told me when the spoke of you," Hades said gently, effectively bringing Persephone back to the present.

"Of course they did."

"But what I don't know is who did it."

Persephone looked at him in disbelief then said, "You know everything else about me, but you don't know that bit of information" bitterly.

"Will you tell me?"

"Guess."

"Zeus."

"You got it."

"When?"

"About eleven years ago, when I was nine. That should never have happened. And it wouldn't have if only I had listened. But I didn't. And that wasn't even the worst the part. The worst part was telling my mother and having her yell at me saying that I was lying. She wouldn't even listen," Persephone said in a dead voice, refusing to let herself break.

"How could she do such thing," Hades inquired, disgusted at how Demeter had blatantly ignored her daughters' distress.

"Even gods can choose what they wish to hear."

"And yet, you still protect her."

"She's my mother. I have to."

"But still you question me when I protect you. Why?"

"Because it doesn't make sense for you to do so."

"Why is it that Zeus can see the reasoning behind why I protected you, but you cannot?"

"Because it doesn't make sense for you to love me."

"Well then, I'm just going to have to correct that," Hades stated with a small smile.

"I want you to." Surprising herself with her sentiment, Persephone hid her face.

Shocked Hades looked at Persephone for a long time. He saw sadness in her eyes but also something else he just couldn't place. Then he stood up and walked over to where Persephone was sitting, placing his hand on her cheek wiping the tears there with his thumb, letting it rest there for a minute. Then to his delight, Persephone proceeded to lean into it. Bending down so that his face was level with hers, he whispered, "I will" while looking into her eyes.

Gazing into Hades' eyes Persephone's breath shortened as he began to lean forward, and kissed her. It wasn't the kind of kiss that was all consuming or one that caused stars to erupt. No, it was a sweet gentle kiss; one that didn't demand or force but simply asked to be returned. Hades' lips simply touched against hers gently, and lingered waiting on her to respond. Persephone responded by pressing back, and moving her lips slowly against his carefully, taking both parties by complete surprise. Her hand went up to cup his chin, gently pulling it closer. After a few short moments the kiss finally broke when Persephone spoke.

"Good," she stated breathlessly, a small timid smile finding its way onto her face.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

The next day, Hades woke up feeling a new purpose light his day for he knew that right across the hall his queen slept. Dressing quickly in order to see her, he put on his standard means of clothing; his favorite pair of black pants, a black cotton shirt, and standard black leather boots. Such articles of clothing were practical for the Underworld which was wrought with some nasty inhabitants. Looking in the mirror before walking out of his room, Hades couldn't help but question as to what effect his appearance had on Persephone. If last night was any indication, he knew that she was in absolutely no mood to be courted. Not by him or by anyone, disappointing him yet relieving him at the same time because he knew he was in no way prepared to have another bout of last nights' confessions, even if that meant his marriage proposal would have to be put on hold.

Even just thinking about what Zeus and Demeter had done to her made his eyes glaze over in anger. "How was it possible for two perpetually insignificant beings to inflict such damage on Persephone; someone undeserving of any harm," he asked himself in disgust. "And without a doubt despite Zeus' actions, and Demeter's negligence, Persephone would go running to her mothers' aide if given the slightest indication that Demeter was in trouble." An action which he must protect her from at all costs, because surely her life depended on it. He had to keep her here. He knew that in order to protect her there was no other option except for tying her to the Underworld in every way possible; binding her to it just as he is bound. But Hades knew that if he did this then she would surely resent him for it.

Turning away from the mirror in disgust, Hades began to pace across his room all the while mulling over this new thought. A nervous habit he had picked up over the years of solitude. Finally, after a minute or two, he was out of the room, and his hand was turning the knob on Persephone's door. But before entering, he froze; not knowing if he should enter. While he was frozen, he contemplated the pros and cons of proceeding through the doorway. After several minutes of stiffness, Hades heard a call from within.

"Well, are you going to come in or are you just going to stand there forever," Persephone asked sarcastically.

Persephone had hardly received any sleep last night due to the unwanted distraction which went by the name of Hades despite the previous days' events. "For in the span of one day I have gone from dancing with Ares, the big muscled idiot, to frantically searching for my wayward mother to fighting against Zeus, and nearly dying if not for the actions of said Lord of the Underworld, to being dragged from everything I have ever known, and forced to live in a black lifeless pit until the end of all existence; never knowing if my mother had survived," Persephone fumed, exhausted yet still unable to rest due to the stress stirred by the thought. For her whole entire life was always solely focused on the protection and survival of one person, the only person that really mattered despite her faults: Demeter, her mother. And to not know what had happened to her after she was forced to leave the world above invoked a pain so raw it knocked the breath out of her lungs.

"And that doesn't even include the fact that just last night, I discovered that for the last eleven years Hades, the very man who saved my life and who I've only met for a grand total of fifteen minutes in my whole entire existence, half of which was spent with me either blatantly ignoring him or yelling at him, wants to make me his queen. As if I didn't have enough to deal with already," Persephone thought, completely stressed out from the day's events. Walking back to her bed exhaustedly, she fell facedown onto it in an attempt to get some shut eye, groaning when she discovered that her added weight upon her injuries was quite painful, only to be disappointed when she heard her doorknob turn.

Looking to see who it was Persephone was surprised to see none other than Mr. Tall, Dark & Handsome himself frozen in her doorway just as she was frozen on her bed. Even with the time that had transpired since their departing the evening before Persephone had to admit she was not ready to face him again. What with the confession of her deepest darkest secret, and after kissing him she was more than a little reluctant to face the upcoming inquisition that would surely ensue should he press hard enough.

Finally after a few moments of frazzled thinking, and shallow breathing Persephone finally said, "Well, are you going to come in or are you just going to stand there forever" putting as much sarcasm and detached feeling into the statement as possible so as to not show him just exactly how nervous she really was.

Upon hearing Persephone's sarcastic question, Hades blushed a little before sheepishly entering her room. Looking at anything that wasn't her, he tried to hide behind his facade of unconcerned air only to have it slip when he accidently glanced her way and saw her staring directly at him. Her piercing eyes searching his expression questioningly.

Unable to pretend anymore, Hades met her gaze full on, letting himself finally admire her unique vision completely losing himself in the process. Unconsciously, he moved toward the bed in which she was propped, sitting beside her as admiration poured from his unwavering gaze. After a few minutes of silent staring, Persephone finally broke away, looking down at her hands placed promptly upon her lap.

"Well, what has you up so early," Persephone inquired nervously, looking down from his admiring eyes. "I don't deserve such admiration," she thought bitterly as she examined one of the many bruises marking her skin from where Zeus had touched her the previous day, nervously awaiting his answer as she chewed upon her lip, a nervous habit that she had formed over the years of being constantly stressed.

"Well, I was just coming to wake you up so you could get dressed. Breakfast will begin soon," Hades replied. His eyes watching as she bit her lip hungrily, wanting to lean forward and place her lips on his. Before he could give in to the temptation, Hades moved quickly away from her towards the door. "I'll give you some privacy so you can change." Looking down at the floor as he exited her room retreating to the solitude that comforted him in the hallway as he patiently waited for her to change.

Persephone watched as Hades departed from her rooms a little reluctant to let him leave. After a night of absolutely no sleep she had never imagined it to be time to arise, but then again there was no way to determine time within the Underworld for the sky neither darkened nor lightened throughout the day; instead it stayed a perpetual twilight, pretty in a way but strange.

So it was no surprise that Persephone was startled when Hades had entered her rooms. Shocked too, for she was completely unprepared to see him again. But thinking back to the previous evening she blushed and hid her face, embarrassed about the kiss they had shared. "It was perfect. Everything my first kiss should have been," she mused sheepishly. Her first kiss, unfortunately, had been shared with Zeus right before he raped her.

But peeking up at Hades from her position on the bed, Persephone couldn't help but stare at him. He too was trying to hide behind a false facade. Smiling a little, she looked at him completely taking in his expressions as they changed when he finally looked into her questioning eyes. Questioning because what really did he have to hide from. Then Persephone was lost; lost in his gaze that was so consuming that no thought could entwine itself within her mind. Not when he walked towards her, and not when he sat upon her bed.

It was only when complete admiration consumed his gaze did she break the connection. After a few words were exchanged between them pertaining to his presence, Hades left to allow her to prepare for the day. Frazzled, and embarrassed, Persephone quickly dressed in the first thing she saw in her closest, which was, of course, filled to the brim with finery, a white dress with a light blue ribbon tied around her waist. After brushing her hair, she walked out the door letting her red curls fall where they may.

Once outside she faced Hades, and together they made their way to the dining hall silently.

Hades couldn't stop staring at her. The white dress with the light blue ribbon contrasted beautifully with her fiery red hair, and bright green eyes. In fact when she had first walked into the hall, he couldn't contain the gasp that escaped his mouth. And now she was walking right beside him as silent as ever, not even looking at him. He wanted to say something to her especially after the strange encounter they had had only a few moments ago.

"So, I hope you slept well," Hades inquired, wincing a little as he heard the words leave his mouth, ashamed that he couldn't think of anything better to say.

"Oh, yes. I did," Persephone lied, leaving out the fact that she had not slept at all.

"Good." And then they were silent again.

Upon reaching the dining hall, breakfast presented itself on the table. However, conversation did not. Hades very much wished to talk to her but when he couldn't think of anything to say, and when she didn't offer they fell into silence. As breakfast passed in this manner, Hades saw that Persephone ate little if anything at all. But when he inquired if the food was to her liking she merely indicated that everything was. Once finished, Hades spoke.

"What would you wish to do today," Hades asked, genuinely curious to know exactly how she wished to spend her day. "You could accompany me to the throne room to judge souls, if you wish, or maybe I could escort you to the garden?"

Genuinely curious as to what judging souls comprised of, Persephone indicated that she would wish to join him in the throne room.

Upon hearing her answer, Hades' chest filled with joy, happy that she had shown curiosity for his occupation; even if that meant she was just tagging along to see what a monster he was. Standing up from his seat, he walked over to Persephone's, and after offering her his arm the two walked towards the throne room.

As the day passed, Hades was happier than ever. Barely paying attention to his work, he judged the souls before him distractedly, always throwing glances in Persephone's direction. Seeing her sitting upon the throne he had designed specifically for her, his heart filled with joy. His queen was sitting there beside him as content as she could be; avidly watching as he judged the souls, every once in a while agreeing with his decision or announcing her own.

But as the time went by, Hades could see her eyes drooping, shutting slowly, and then finally closing altogether. Glancing her direction, he had suspected earlier when he asked if she had a pleasant night of sleep that she was lying and now here was his proof, he saw that Persephone was fast asleep, her head resting against the side of her throne.

Soon after the last soul of the day passed through his doors and after a quick sentencing, Hades and Persephone were left alone. Turning to Persephone, Hades could see that she was still asleep. After a second or two of deliberation, he scooped her up in his arms, and headed towards her room. However, Hades only managed to reach the doors of the throne room before she woke up suddenly.

Shooting up in his arms, Persephone woke with a gasp. Looking down at her peculiarly and a little worried, Hades tightened his grip upon her, cautious of what had made her awake in such a manner.

"Persephone. Persephone," Hades whispered until he finally grabbed her attention.

"Oh, it's just you," Persephone breathed, calm now that she could fully discern her surroundings.

"Persephone, love, what's the matter," Hades replied, genuinely concerned for her state.

"Nothing. Nothing. Everything is fine, Hades," Persephone lied, flashing a smile in his direction. "You can put me down now."

Raising an eyebrow at her lie, Hades tightened his grip. Frowning he said, "I don't believe you."

"Seriously Hades, I'm fine. Nothing is wrong. It was just a nightmare," Persephone answered, ditching the smile now completely serious.

After a moment's deliberation, Hades slowly placed Persephone upon her feet while still keeping a firm grip on her waist. Once standing, he traded her waist for her arm and headed in the direction of his office.

Persephone's eyes widened at the sight before her eyes as they entered Hades' office. Looking around the room she gazed at the tall, wide, black bookcases which housed hundreds upon hundreds of books and scrolls, the sturdy wooden desk piled to the max with papers, the huge expansive fireplace, and the few mismatched yet cozy chairs placed in front of it.

With a little smile Persephone moved to stand in front of the bookshelves. As she scanned the spines of the books curiously she asked, "What are all these books for" pointing to indicate which books she was referring to as she looked back at Hades, who was still standing in the entry way watching her with a look of pure amusement.

"They're catalogues of the last five years' soul intake," he said, happy to finally relay some of the information pertaining to his job.

"Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why do you write down all of the souls into catalogues? What's the point if your subjects are dead?"

"The purpose is so that I know exactly where I sent each soul after judgment, so that I can keep a track of exactly how many souls are entering the Underworld. It acts kind of like a census if you will."

"But why? What I mean is that you don't judge every soul that passes through the Gates of the Underworld for it would surely be too much for one man to handle on his own. That's why you have the Three Judges to help you. But what I don't understand is why you personally catalogue these particular souls."

Astonished by her question Hades answered a little dazed. "That's a very good question. And you're right, I don't judge every soul that walks through the Underworld's Gates, however, I do judge the special cases. Cases that involve a particular person on Earth that usually either committed very serious crimes in his life or someone who achieved great good. Very seldom do I ever judge a soul the Three Judges cannot decide upon."

"That must be rather boring. To judge the same version of a soul every day," Persephone said walking from her place in front of the bookshelves to stand before the fire.

"It is," Hades replied blandly as he watched her. Then with a sly smile he countered, "Then again I can't imagine how judging soul after soul must compare to the only oh so stimulating conversations the nymphs seem to provide."

Smiling widely at his comment Persephone turned to face him with a raised eyebrow. "And how exactly would you know? Maybe it has gotten more interesting over the years."

"Persephone, love, I've been around for thousands of years and let me tell you it hasn't."

Smiling, Persephone laughed. "Oh, I believe that." Laughing as she walked over to a chair in order to sit. Listening to her laugh, Hades walked over to his desk and quickly compiled the souls of the day into his records. Once done he looked up only to see Persephone leaning over the desk in order to watch him work. Enraptured Hades watched as her brow scrunched up as she became frustrated by his system. However, to his disappointment the moment didn't last long because the exact moment she looked up and their eyes connected Persephone immediately turned away with a blush.

"Well, My Lord, if you are finished with your work then I believe that it is time for dinner," Persephone said after clearing her throat still not making eye contact with Hades.

"Yes, I believe it is," Hades said automatically, befuddled as to why she was blushing. Standing from his position behind the desk, the two walked into the hallway towards the dining hall silently.

Dinner that night passed just as breakfast had. In a silence that neither dared to disrupt. But not wanting Persephone to leave his company quite so soon, Hades offered to escort her to the gardens he had meticulously prepared for her enjoyment.

Once inside the grounds the two walked gracefully through, admiring the sights. Persephone had never seen such natural beauty before. And she never expected to, at least, not in the Underworld. Her mother's gardens were pretty for sure, but were arranged with such precision that the natural nature of the plants was lost creating an effect of stifling perfection.

Strolling along the path in a hush, Persephone and Hades soon stumbled upon one of the most amazing tree she had ever seen; with a gasp, Persephone stilled in her tracks staring in amazement at the wonder before her eyes.

Upon seeing this, Hades smiled at the look upon her face. "Do you like it?"

"Yes. Yes of course I like it," Persephone responded enraptured.

"Good," Hades answered a smile lighting up his face. He was glad that Persephone had taken to the tree because it had always been one of his favorite places in the Underworld.

"What is it," Persephone asked as she strode towards the tree. Upon reaching it she reached up and grasped one of the dark purple fruits hanging from the limbs.

"It's a pomegranate tree. Although it may be beautiful, I would be wary for the fruit that the tree bores is dangerous for one such as yourself," Hades said as he plucked the fruit from her hands causing the young Spring Goddess to look up at him strangely.

"Why?"

"Because love, one bite of this fruit will bind you to the Underworld forever. You would never be able to leave," Hades whispered as he watched Persephone's face wondering how she would react to the information.

"Oh, how strange that only one little bite would condemn someone to the Underworld for all of eternity. But then again would such a fate really be a bad thing," Persephone mused in a distant yet questioning voice.

Looking down at her, Hades couldn't believe his ears. "And why would it not be such a bad thing?"

"Because then one could focus on the things that actually matter instead of having the constant distraction of frivolous relationships and disputes most Gods and Goddesses seem to be utterly focused upon."

"True, but then again one would instead have to put up with the endless stream of dead and damned souls alike as well as the unceasing blanket of darkness that carpets this barren landscape."

"There is life here still. It's just a different kind. With just one bite never again would one have to put with Hera's jealousy or Ares and Athena's bickering, or even Aphrodite's many affairs. Down here one could be free of the restraints placed upon them by an uncaring king. One could cast away the silly disputes over hurt pride and vanity, and finally breathe."

"But only at a price," Hades whispered stunned that she already held the Underworld with such esteem.

"Yes, unfortunately only at a price that cannot be paid," Persephone whispered miserably, tears shining unshed in her eyes.

After a brief moment of calm, Hades erupted. "Why not?"

"Why not what?"

"Why can it not be paid, Persephone? You deserve to have the chance to make a life for yourself. You deserve to have a life. Just because your mother doesn't give a damn about your future doesn't mean I don't."

"Stop it," Persephone whispered in a deadly serious voice, her hands clenching together.

"What? It's true. My whole life I've watched Demeter use the people that she cares about. And my whole life I've been thinking that maybe just maybe she'll change over time, and let me tell you, Persephone, she hasn't."

"Stop it," Persephone exclaimed hitting him in the chest trying to put space between them.

"The mere evidence of what she's done to you is proof of that, Persephone, and you know it."

"You have no right. No right! You don't know what our life is like. You don't know about the things we've had to do in order to survive," she uttered angrily, tears shining still unshed in her eyes.

"Our? With her there is no our. There's a Demeter and there's a you. Never an our. You know these facts as well as I, Persephone."

Shaking her head in denial, Persephone tried to overcome the tears in her eyes. Shakily she uttered, "Just please take me home."

"And take you home to what? Huh, Persephone? Back to taking care of your pathetic excuse of a mother. Back to the clueless nymphs and their mindless chatter. Back to constantly pretending to be happy even though you're absolutely miserable. I mean, you can't honestly expect me to believe that that is what's best for you."

"It's not about whether you believe it or not. The point is it was never your decision to make in the first place."

"Oh, and I was just supposed to sit around and let you get hurt?"

"Yes!"

"Persephone, I can't do that! I won't let you do that. Because whether or not you believe it the minute the Fates told me about you your life became mine. And I can't live with myself if I know that you're unhappy. Persephone, I want you to live. I want you to have happiness in your life even if it's not with me. To allow you to be unhappy goes against the grain. I can't allow it. It's not right."

"It's not right. A lot of things within this world are not right, Hades. A lot of people's lives in this world are unhappy ones. So why should mine be any different?"

"You're far too young to have such a pessimistic view on life."

"And you're far too old to have an optimistic one."

"Persephone…"

"Hades, just stop, okay. I appreciate what you're trying to say but after everything I've experienced in my life, I just can't. Okay. I can't."

"And why not?"

"Because good things never seem to last."

"And who told you that."

"No one had to tell me. I found out the hard way."

"Persephone…"

"No, Hades. No. Not tonight."

Sighing, and running a hand through his hair, Hades said, "Fine. I'll take you back to your room so you can get some sleep. But I'm not giving up."

"Whoever said I wanted you too," Persephone stated with a sad quirk of her mouth.

That night after a taking the best bath of her life in the most luxurious bathroom in she had ever seen, Persephone fell into the bed and was quickly lost in sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

The first three weeks passed by quickly, forming themselves into a routine almost instantly. Hades would wake up, get dressed and then go across the hall to where Persephone slept. He would wake her, she would get dressed, and together the two would go to the dining hall to eat breakfast. Then they would head to the throne room where Hades would judge the souls while Persephone either listened, read, or even sometimes slept in her throne or on Hades' shoulder. After the days judging was over they would go to Hades' office where he would log in the souls of the day, and Persephone would write. Preceding this they ate dinner and walked the garden where Persephone would grow flowers while Hades watched in utter fascination at the astonishing amount of influence she had over nature. Once both confessed their exhaustion they would go to their separate rooms and retire for the night.

However, during all that time together, Hades never once forced Persephone to do or go anywhere she didn't wish to; he only ever asked. He never forced his feeling upon her, and never tried to kiss her. He would only ever hold her hand or tuck her arm into his as they walked together. Sometimes there were hugs but even they were quick to end. In Hades eyes, he was allowing her time to adjust, but in Persephone's, he was being careful with her; treating her as if at any moment in time she might break.

The first month passed much like the first three weeks and would have continued on as such if Persephone had decided not to interfere.

That day began much like the others. Hades woke up, got dressed, and walked across the hall to wake up Persephone only to walk in, and see that she was already up.

"Oh, you're awake," Hades whispered, surprised to find Persephone up. Usually Hades had to pry Persephone from her bed in the morning. "Yes, I am."

After a few moments of uninterrupted silence Persephone asked, "Look Hades. Are we going to do this every day?"

"Do what," Hades asked befuddled yet curious as to what she was fretting about. As far as he was concerned every day was an adventure because every day he learned something new about his beloved queen and frankly, Hades didn't give a damn about their plans for the day so long as he could spend it with her.

"This. This routine that seems to have established itself. Are you ever going take me somewhere? Show me something," Persephone inquired, exasperated that he didn't immediately understand what she was talking about.

"What is there that you would like to see," Hades questioned, genuinely interested as to what there was within the Underworld she so desperately wished to see. Hades had resided within the Underworld for eons, and has since lost all interest for what resides within its grounds. But despite this, Hades was still eager to show her anything, and everything that she wished to see. "Well, almost everything. Tartarus, however, is out of the question," he thought to himself.

"Everything! Your kingdom. Your realm. What you rule over," Persephone uttered passionately. She had never been anywhere in the world other than the island which she lived upon, and Mt. Olympus in her entire life, and desperately wanted to explore this new and unknown place; even if the reason behind why she was in the Underworld was undesirable.

"Why would you want to see my realm? I rule the souls of the dead. What is there that you could possibly wish to see?"

"Look Hades. Do you want me to be your queen or not?"

"Of course I want you to be my queen. There's nothing I want more," Hades stated fervently, confused as to where exactly this was going.

"Well then, how do you expect me to be your queen if I know absolutely nothing about your kingdom?"

"But I thought that you hated me," Hades uttered. Hades had to admit that he was beyond confused; for only a few short weeks beforehand he had fully believed she resented him completely, but now, here she was abolishing the very view he had held so true for such a period of time. "How dare she! How dare she even imply that her hate is not real. That her resentment is not justly deserved. That all the pain I felt at her expense was not warranted. That now, after all my suffering she should wish to become the very antidote which could ease my pain," he thought to himself angrily.

"Hades, I don't hate you. I admit that I wasn't exactly your biggest fan when I first got here. But what else was I supposed to feel? You took me away from everything that I ever knew and understood, and brought me here against my will. And yes, I understand exactly why you did it but still. My whole life I have never before been offered help from anyone for anything and am therefore completely unused to accepting it. From my point of view it doesn't make sense for someone else to risk everything they have for someone else. Maybe that's simply because no one's ever bothered to do so. Not for me, and defiantly not for my mother. That's why I disliked you before. Not because of what you did personally, but because for some insane reason I couldn't find it in my heart to blame my mother for this. And at that particular moment in time you were the easiest to blame. But in reality Hades, I like you. A lot." While speaking Persephone walked from where she had previously sat on the bed to stand in front of Hades, gently she reached out her hand towards his, and clasped it in hers firmly, refusing to let it go for a second.

Looking down at their hands, Hades chest filled with joy knocking him breathless. After clearing his throat as silently as possible, he glanced into her eyes refusing to look away, and asked the one question he wanted to answer to. "Why? Why do you like me?"

With a smile Persephone gladly answered. "Because you saved my life. You're continuing to save my life, actually. And yet despite everything you've done for me, you have never once asked for anything in return. That's why I like you, Hades. Because you're completely different from all of the other gods and goddesses I have ever come into contact with. You've never once forced me to do anything I didn't wish to do. You've never once ordered me around like I'm some kind of servant. You've never treated me like I'm a little girl. And you've never pitied me. Instead you've treated me with utter respect, complete admiration, and profound kindness. All characteristics I'm completely unused to seeing, let alone have directed towards me. And as if that wasn't enough for some unimaginable reason you love me. And, frankly, I l love that about you. I love that despite everything I've ever said to you, you have never once given up on me. Never. And, I really don't want you to."

Hades' heart began to swell at her words. Never had he thought it was possible but standing there looking into Persephone's eyes he couldn't help but fall in love with her even more. Slowly closing the space between them, never taking his eyes off of her, Hades pulled her into an embrace, and held her there.

"I love you, Persephone," Hades whispered, pressing a kiss against her fore head as he pulled her even closer to him, wanting with all his heart to hold her there forever. And for the first time in his life, Hades allowed himself to do just that.

"I know," Persephone replied with a small giggle. With her head tucked underneath his chin, and for all intense and purposes conformed solely to his form, Persephone kissed him on the throat gently wrapping him tightly in her arms as well.

Up on earth Demeter awakes from her previous skirmish with Zeus. After a long moment of searching for her dear Persephone, Demeter began to panic. Never once had Persephone ever been gone from Demeter's side, and never has she ever left after these particular nights for any reason. But now she was missing.

Demeter's heart had never been this broken before. Sure, it had suffered from her encounters with Zeus, and from the loss of Isaac, Demeter's husband as well as Persephone's father, but even those pains paled in comparison to this. Persephone, her only daughter, the only reminder left of her husband, was missing, and Demeter didn't know what to do. All she could remember was leaving the party with Zeus and then everything went black. Of course, Demeter knew the risk of leaving with him, and she knew Persephone wouldn't approve but ever since Isaac's death Demeter found herself lonelier than ever. Lonely for the type of company her daughter couldn't provide. Lonely for a man's company.

Tearing out of the cottage Demeter cried out loudly, shouting into the wind she screamed, "Persephone!"

Hunched over from the pain radiating from her chest, Demeter realized something perplexing happens when she cries. The earth started to freeze. The vegetation started to die. The harvest ceased to grow. Life on earth began to perish.

"And die it shall. Everything on this planet will cease to grow until my daughter is returned to me," the Goddess of the Harvest muttered hatefully into the frosty wind.

Demeter stood still, deadly unemotional as she watched the earth begin to cover itself in ice. And there she remained, watching as everything in her sight expired until the day Zeus came to her.

"Demeter, you have been neglecting your duties, I see. Why," Zeus inquired angrily. When he had returned home from one of his many salacious escapades he soon discovered that Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest and one of his many conquests, had been shirking her duties for the past month more than a little put out knowing he would have to stop doing as he pleased in order to solve the problem.

"My daughter is missing. And because I am suffering so shall everyone else on this forsaken planet." Demeter stated with absolutely no emotion.

"Come now. Persephone's disappearance is no reason to do such a thing to poor Gaia. If you are so starved of company then come with me and I will fix that," Zeus stated easily, thinking for the world that an afternoon in his company would solve all the woes within her life. But even as he offered Zeus was reluctant to carry through with his promise. He had never really liked Demeter that much. Well, he did that is until Persephone came along. In his view, out of the two of them Persephone was by far the most appealing even if she did have a hot temper. "Like me. Persephone is far more like me than she ever is like Demeter. Where Demeter is weak, Persephone is strong. Where Demeter is plain, Persephone is radiant. Radiant enough to even satisfy my needs," Zeus thought lustily. "She is far more beautiful than Hera will ever be. Not to mention more compelling. She could handle me far better than the two of them could ever hope to. If only she would bow to my will."

"NO! I will not leave this spot until my daughter is returned to me! And if she does not return then the humans will die off one by one."

Zeus was surprised to say the least. He honestly never thought that Demeter would ever say no to such an invitation. Or, for that matter, the little bitch of a goddess could ever mean anything to anyone. And because of this fact Zeus had never bothered to consider the consequences of his actions towards the girl. But even with the loss of her exquisite beauty he was happy now that she was gone. Now, he could pillage and rape all he wanted without her interference and frankly, his feelings were the only things that mattered to him.

But now Demeter was demanding the return of her daughter, and he unsure of what his next move should be. For surely, if she returned then she would speak of what happened. On the other hand, if she was not returned then Demeter would destroy the very people he depended on to worship him, and after all, what is a god with no disciples. So Zeus began formulating a plan. He would return Persephone to Demeter but only after he had retained her silence by threatening Hades. Surely that would work, because after all Zeus could clearly see that his silly brother cared for the girl, and knew undoubtedly that she cared for him as well. For how could she not? Persephone, in his mind, was easily seduced. And then once she is safely returned to her mother in the world above then he would kill her.

Smirking wickedly, Zeus said, "Oh, my dear Demeter, had I the slightest inclination that the separation from your daughter would cause you such horrid pain then I never would have let Hades take her?"

Demeter grew deathly pale upon hearing this. "Hades took my daughter. Why," she whimpered distraught.

"Why, my dear Demeter. When he came to me the other day telling me tales of how lonely he was down in the Underworld, I suggested that he take a wife. But it never once occurred to me that he would ever choose Persephone."

"Oh my gods. My poor daughter, she must be so frightened down there in that horrible realm all by herself. Zeus. Zeus is there anything you can do to help me," Demeter sniveled desperately, grabbing a hand full of his toga frantically.

"Don't worry Demeter. Leave it all to me. I shall return your daughter back to you in no time." Zeus reassured her easily.

Soon after placating Demeter, Zeus evaporated back onto Mt. Olympus leaving her standing by a frozen dead tree on earth with a false sense of hope filling her chest.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Down in the Underworld three months passed without fail. Persephone and Hades walked through their garden shyly, each consumed in their own thoughts.

Persephone couldn't help but be a little nervous. She knew why Hades had asked her to come here today. He was, finally, going to ask her to marry him once and for all, only this time she was planning on saying yes. So ambling towards the pomegranate tree he had planted for her, Persephone waited anxiously for him to approach the subject.

Hades couldn't resist being a little bit more than nervous. His last attempt had gone horribly wrong, ending with Persephone declaring her hatred for him. That was the reason why he was taking his time walking through their garden. He was afraid that she would reject him again even though for the past three months they had spent nearly every single moment of consciousness together, eagerly learning things about each other. It was this irrational fear that had Hades reluctant to approach the subject because he loved the time he spent with Persephone far too much for it only to be temporary. He loved Persephone not just for what she looked like, and for the amazing power and control she was able to easily produce, but for the magnificent Goddess that she was. Within a short amount of time Persephone had managed to weasel her way straight into his buried heart so that it was physically painful to be away from her, and to even think that she did not feel the same hurt so much that Hades truly believed without her he would slowly but surely fade into nothing. Glancing over at the beautiful perfection beside him, Hades' heart clenched. "If she hadn't learned to love him by now then surely she never would," he thought mournfully.

Persephone glanced over at Hades as they neared her tree, her tree because not long after her first visit in the garden Hades had swiftly declared it was hers for the taking, her heart bursting into a full out sprint as her breathing became uneven. He was already testing her patience by waiting this long to ask, making her a little more than put out by the wait. Didn't he see that she loved him with all her heart and always would? Yes, she'll admit that she hated him when they first met but that was months ago when she was struggling to adjust to the peaceful life the residents adopted here. Back then every day it was a challenge for her to relax, an obstacle for her to sleep. But now, Persephone was accustomed to the passive living of the Underworld, and had even come to like it. It was nice to wake up every day and not have to worry if she would ever live to see another or to sit and read a book without having to constantly look over her shoulder to see if she would be attacked. Some days she had woken up thinking it was all a dream, only to be relieved when she discovered it wasn't; that the relaxing, and slow nature of Hades' realm wasn't just her imagination but was in fact real. Hades had helped her adjust, was still helping her adjust actually. In fact, Hades was the only reason she had. Waking up to him every day had managed to relax Persephone in a way she never thought possible. She calmed even further after she confessed her feelings for Hades and he confessed his for her. In fact over the past three months she had become so comfortable with Hades that now they shared a bed. Thinking back to that first night Persephone couldn't help but laugh.

"Persephone, are you sure what to do," Hades inquired nervously. At first when he had heard Persephone's request he was ecstatic because his queen was finally ready to accept him. But now that he was standing beside his bed that now seemed all of a sudden far too small for the two of them he was unsure. Looking back up at Persephone, he was once again rendered breathless. She was wearing a black silk slip that in his mind was far to revealing for his only far too weak control.

"Yes, Hades, I'm sure I want to do this," Persephone replied for the hundredth time in the past five minutes. When she had first suggested they share a bed she more than a little apprehensive but now that she was standing in the room looking down at the bed she was eager. Eager to see exactly how long Hades blasted rigid control would last. When she was perusing her closet for something to wear to bed she had purposely chosen the most revealing piece of clothing she had just to see what his reaction would be. And sure enough the second she walked into the room, Hades literally froze where he stood while his eyes blazed with a hunger that made Persephone shiver deliciously. Blushing, she began to preen and ducked to hide her amusement.

Looking over at Hades, Persephone eagerly took in the sculpted muscles of his exposed chest as Hades had decided to sleep shirtless, and his silk clad thighs. Glancing back up at his face, she saw him cock an eyebrow at her rather obvious assessment. Shrugging unabashedly, Persephone then dove onto his bed before purposely stretching teasingly, causing Hades to gasp. Smiling she turned onto her side in order to snuggle against his pillow before sighing tiredly.

Sighing heavily, Hades cursed softly under his breath at his breaking control he stiffly climbed into the bed beside Persephone. Making sure that there was sufficient space between himself and her, Hades laid on his back willing sleep to present itself.

But before he could curse the Fates again for his uncomfortable predicament, Persephone filled the space between them. Stunned Hades watched as Persephone wrapped her arms around his right and gently rests her head against his shoulder. Sighing, she quickly fell back asleep. Soon after Hades melted against her soft form, wrapping right arm around her waist and pressing her against his side, grabbing her other hand into his own, and resting his head against her own.

"Persephone?"

"Hum…"

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"For the thousandth time Hades, yes I'm okay with this."

"Even after what Zeus did to you."

Giving up on trying to get any sleep until his questions were answer, Persephone sat up and straddled his lap grabbing his face in between both of her hands before answering his question. "Hades, what Zeus did to me happened eleven years ago. I got over it. Okay, now go to sleep," she replied seriously.

Lifting himself up onto his elbows, Hades asked, "Just like that?"

"I never said it was easy. But I did it. And want to know why? It was because of you. Because of this place. Just being here away from people like my mother and Zeus has helped phenomenally. Now I can move on with my life. I can go do the things I want to do now without having to worry about what they would do. Or for that matter worry about them at all. I can live my life now, and I have you to thank for that. So thank you. And stop worrying about how us sleeping next to each other is going to affect me because I can guarantee that it's not going to be in the way you expected."

Gasping, Hades moved his hand to clasp the back of her neck and pull her down towards his lips. Quickly taking advantage of Persephone's surprised gasp to lock their lips together, both of their tongues fighting for dominance. Moaning, Persephone wrapped her arms around his neck as Hades pulled her securely against his body before rolling to hover over her.

A few long minutes later, they broke apart to breathe in much needed air. Turning over onto to lay on his back, Hades moved to allow Persephone to comfortable snuggle into his side.

"Good night, love," he whispered as he rubbed his lips against her forehead before falling into a dreamless sleep.

From that day forward they either slept side by side or in each other's arms. As things progressed between them Persephone found herself being more open and relaxed around Hades. They kissed more, hugged more, and lately there wasn't a single moment when they weren't touching. Whether it be an arm around her waist, or a hand in hers, or even a full out embrace, Hades always made it a point to retained some form of contact with her. Even now he had her hand securely clasped within his. A sudden and not altogether unwelcomed thought raced across Persephone's mind bringing with it pictures of Hades touching her elsewhere, a shiver of pleasure tickled her nerves making her shudder in longing. Feeling this, Hades cocked an eyebrow, and glanced at her quizzically. However, before he could say anything, a blush stole Persephone's cheeks and she hastily severed their eye contact. Oh yes, Persephone was definitely ready to move on despite all of the reasons she knew she shouldn't. If only he would hurry up and let her.

While thinking to herself, Persephone soon realized they had reached their destination. Awkwardly, Hades stood in front of her, his hand still locked with hers, unsure of what to do next. So to save him from having to decide, Persephone launched herself at him. Jumping into his arms, she tangled her arms around his neck and kissed him. Ever since their first, they had slowly but surely become more confident in the other's affection, and soon after their kissing increased not only in number but in intensity as well. Slowly she locked her lips with his, and he responded immediately wrapping his arms around her pressing her closer to his chest, fastening his lips with hers enthusiastically. This was one past time that had become more common between the two of them and both enjoyed it profusely. After a long moment passed they broke apart reluctantly, both breathing heavily and smiling broadly.

"So are you going to ask me willingly or am I going to have to force it out of you," Persephone teased smiling against his lips, arms still tightly wrapped around him.

"Oh, I think you're going to have to force it out of me," Hades whispered back, squeezing her closer to his chest.

"Fine by me."

Locking her lips back with Hades', Persephone plastered herself against his front before pressing forward, causing them to fall backwards and land with Persephone on top of Hades. Wasting no time, she straddled his hips as she trailed her lips up and down his throat.

Breathing heavily, Hades couldn't believe that with just the mere brush of her lips, his little Persephone was stirring feeling within him he had never thought he would ever have felt.

Hearing Hades' uneven breathing, Persephone smiled against his throat before gently nipping his Adam's apple. "Ask me," Persephone whispered.

Hades moaned as he felt the seductive scrap of her teeth against his jugular, tightening his hold around her waist, pressing her closer to him. Enveloped within her scent as he was Hades could hardly think anymore let alone form a coherent sentence.

Upon receiving no answer, Persephone slowly trailed her lips up his throat nipping him just underneath the jaw. Hades groaned as she quickly licked his skin then continued up kissing him on the cheek, moving slowly over to kiss his eyelids, then down the length of his nose. Then, finally, Persephone lightly brushed her lips against his, moving just out of reach as he tried to capture her mouth in his.

"Ask me," Persephone whispered against his lips.

Swallowing loudly, Hades drew in a shuddering breath keeping his eyes closed. "Will you marry me," Hades inquired unevenly.

Upon hearing him breathlessly succumb to her request, Persephone filled with pleasure. Swiftly kissing him on the lips, she wantonly uttered, "No. Ask me again."

Groaning, Hades was more than happy to oblige. Rolling over so that he was pressed gently yet firmly against her, Hades fiercely captured her mouth in his. Persephone moaned as Hades nipped the skin just beneath her jaw before returning to her lips. Kissing her until her breathing was unsteady, and her lips were swollen. "Marry me," Hades growled in between kisses.

Breathing unsteadily, Persephone couldn't contain the moan that vibrated through her lips. Gods, she loved him. And, she loved everything he did to her. With just one look, Hades had managed to effectively obliterate all of her fears, and apprehension as well as all of the memories Zeus had instilled within her mind for the past eleven years, rendering her breathless. Looking into Hades' eyes, Persephone eagerly and unflinchingly surrendered to his ministrations with a trembling yet unwavering, "Yes."

Hades smiled after hearing his queen utter the one word he so desired to hear before swiftly descending upon her lips, kissing Persephone like he never had before. Unlike their first, this kiss was burning and consuming. It was not gentle and it was not asking. This kiss demanded for both to participate and forced them to respond. Hades captured her lips in his and he held on, their tongues battling for dominance. A few long moments later they broke apart reluctantly to untangle themselves, pulling each other up into a standing position. Then after a few more lingering kisses, Hades kneeled in front of Persephone and slipped her ring onto her finger where it would stay forever.

Not long after that fateful day in their garden, Hades and Persephone's wedding day arrived bringing with it a future Persephone had never anticipated she would ever have.

Persephone was beyond nervous as the wedding day approached faster than she had ever expected. Never before had she ever considered marriage as an option open to her, and long before she met Hades she had accepted that. Persephone had long since become accustomed to the reality that she would never find love with someone meaningful and would instead have to care and protect her mother until the end of her days, which she honestly thought would have come sooner rather than later, and no doubt by Zeus' hand. But now here she was. In the Underworld about to marry its King and she couldn't help but be frightened.

Silently, Persephone got dressed and ready for her wedding. A wedding which it would seem Hades had planned for a while, but she didn't mind. In fact, she was kind of glad that he took charge because, frankly, if had been left up to her there wouldn't even be a wedding. Instead in its place she and Hades simply would have had a quiet and small ceremony with just the two of them exchanging vows of love and devotion. Not a full blown out event the entire Underworld would attend. But what could she do, Hades was excited, and to her that was all that mattered.

Just then a knock announced it was time for Persephone to make her grand entrance. So summoning up her courage, Persephone made her way to the throne room where the ceremony was taking place. Once she was just outside of the room, Persephone took a deep breath praying that she wouldn't make a fool of herself in front of all the guests. A moment later Persephone walked into the room, and her eyes widened. Everywhere she looked there were flowers; everything from a pink tulip to a blue orchid, to her favorite, the narcissus, which coincidentally was also the flower of Hades, strung all around the room. Walking forward Persephone scanned the room in awe until she finally met Hades' eyes, a smile consuming her face.

"Gods, he's absolutely breathtaking in his traditional robes," she mused thinking that there was no way this amazing man could ever belong to her. Persephone quickly cast the thought aside as she took a breath, held her head high, and smiled at her king as she walked towards him.

Upon reaching the bottom of the steps, Hades held his hand out to her which Persephone eagerly placed hers into before he zealously pulled her up beside him, a broad smile plastered upon his face. After sharing a brief kiss they turned to face Charon, who was ministering the ceremony, and who had also started to speak but Persephone barely even heard the words he uttered. In her mind the ceremony passed by in a blur. Only when Hades spoke did she come to as he recited his vows perfectly before turning to listen to her utter hers.

Persephone chose simple words to say and her vows were rather short when compared to Hades' momentous epic, but still her words were true and she meant them with all her heart. Then they kissed. A sweet and simple kiss, not one that satisfied Persephone in the least but still it was fulfilling in a at the moment kind of way. She was already planning on sedating the fire inside of her tonight, and she was not going to take no for an answer.

The reception passed by quickly. There were cheers, speeches, and dancing, but Persephone couldn't care less about it. She was far more anxious to get her husband to herself and soon. Thankfully, just when Persephone decided that she was going to have to banish the guests herself, Hades thanked them and bid them goodnight.

"Finally. If I had to wait one more minute for them to leave then I was just going to have to take my husband right here in front of them," Persephone thought blushingly.

Sighing, Hades muttered a relieved, "Finally" before turning towards his giggling bride. After taking in the sight of his blushing queen Hades wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her, gathering her up before stalking off to their bedroom. "Now it's just us," he sighed happy to finally have her to himself.

Giggling and kissing Hades, Persephone couldn't agree more. "Yes, it is."

While kissing his wife, Hades evaporated into their bedroom with her still locked in his arms. Breaking apart reluctantly, Hades walked over to the bed and sat down placing Persephone securely on his lap. Without a moment's hesitation, Persephone kissed him again and again and again. Hades smiled at his exuberant wife, moving a hand to caress her cheek. Moaning a little Persephone kissed him harder while teasing the skin on the back of her husband's neck with her fingernails. Hades groaned, before barely managing to pull away so he could press his forehead against hers.

"Persephone," Hades whispered huskily.

"Yes," Persephone replied wantonly moving in to nip him on the neck, her fingernails still teasing the skin on the back of Hades' neck.

After a difficult swallow, Hades barely managed to say, "Before we do this I need you to do something for me."

"What is it, love," she whispered against his neck, her lips brushing against his skin.

"I need you to eat the seeds of a pomegranate for me," he breathed unevenly but still managing to remain firm.

Pulling back Persephone raised a delicate eyebrow, and looking at Hades questioningly. "Now," she inquired confused as to why he wanted her to eat the pomegranate seeds right at this very moment when she was trying to seduce the pants off of him. "Why in the world is he thinking about those damned seeds now? Of all times?" she thought to herself frustrated that Hades was not kissing her like she was him.

"Yes, now," he uttered, finding it extremely difficult to maintain his stance as he beheld his beautiful wife. His beautiful wife, who at this moment was getting quite frustrated about the fact that he wasn't touching her the way he'd been wanting to ever since she arrived in the Underworld.

"Why?" Persephone understood perfectly exactly why he wanted her to eat the seeds. He wanted her to bind herself to him and his kingdom by consuming the pomegranate seeds with the knowledge that she would be unable to ever leave unless he decreed it. But despite this consequence Persephone had already decided long ago she was going to eat them. She wanted to spend her life beside him regardless of all the reasons she knew she shouldn't. In fact, she was going to eat them right after the wedding ceremony as a surprise for Hades, but her lust filled mind easily over rid this plan by continuously thrusting mental pictures of exactly what she was going to do to Hades the minute they were safe and secure in their bedroom.

"Because, love, if you eat these seeds then you will forever be tied to me and my kingdom. You won't be able to leave unless I say so. Once you eat these seeds then you will be bound here by love and by duty, just like me."

Sighing, Persephone shook her head while muttering, "You are trying my patience, husband. Where are these seeds?"

Happiness radiated through Hades' chest as he smiled and kissed his wantonly unsatisfied wife before pulling out a pomegranate from his pocket. Breaking it in half, Hades scooped up several seeds in his hand, holding them up for Persephone to see. "Right here, love."

Looking down at the seemingly harmless seeds in Hades hand for a moment, Persephone paused briefly before bending down to seductively suck the seeds out from between his fingers into her mouth. Glancing up at Hades as she licked the juice off of her lips, she saw him gasp in surprise as his eyes darkened with absolute pleasure. Smiling Persephone grasped the back of Hades' neck and quickly captured her lips with his fiercely. Moments later the two lovers fell back onto their bed and proceeded to thoroughly enjoy their wedding night.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

The following morning Persephone awoke to the sound of a sigh. Stirring, Persephone moaned as she felt a pair of arms tighten around her waist, pulling her up against the warm sculpted chest of her husband. Hades buried his nose within her hair, sighing again as she began to lazily stretch herself awake.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Persephone leaned up to lightly kiss her husband on the lips, a smile stretching across her face as he pulled her closer in order to fully capture her lips.

"Apparently we aren't going to be leaving this bed anytime soon, are we," Persephone breathed as Hades trailed his lips down her neck.

"Hum, do you have a problem with that, my love," Hades proposed lips brushing against her skin as he spoke.

"No. Not at all, darling," Persephone vowed as Hades pulled her underneath the covers where they remained for the next several hours.

After spending a rather splendid morning with in their bed, Persephone and Hades reluctantly left their extremely comfortable position beside each other to dress. This simple action that would usually have only taken a few moments was prolonged by the fact that they stopped every few seconds to kiss. Unfortunately for the newlyweds the blissful feeling didn't last long because as soon they entered the throne room Hermes appeared with a message from Mt. Olympus.

"Lord Hades, I have come with a mandate from Zeus. You are to come to Mt. Olympus in order to return Lady Persephone back to her rightful place beside her mother," Hermes commanded far more bravely than he felt. Even though he had been thoroughly reassured that nothing would ever happen to him in the Underworld by Zeus, Hermes was still apprehensive. And with good reason too; for Hades was not a god to be tampered with.

Upon seeing Hermes, Persephone gripped Hades' arm fiercely, digging her nails into his skin. "This cannot be happening. I can't leave. Not now. Not after everything that's happened," Persephone thought as she closed her eyes so as to smother the anger that suddenly bubbled within her chest appeared.

Sensing his wife's ire, Hades squeezed her hand in his as he turned glaring at Hermes for even just mentioning his despicable younger brother's name in his presence.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. For as of last night Persephone and I are wed, and therefore her rightful place is by my side."

Gasping, Hermes examined Persephone searching for any trace of a denial, becoming uncertain of his duty when she gave none. Surely, Zeus wasn't foolish enough to really believe that Hermes could ever convince a married woman to leave her husband, and especially not the wife of Lord Hades, who was the most powerful God in existence besides Zeus himself. "That is of little consequence you are still expected to appear on Mt. Olympus this morn," he replied after several long moments spent deciphering the situation. He did NOT want to disturb Hades, no matter what the problem due to his fearsome reputation, but he also could not disobey his king, for he was forbidden to return to Mt. Olympus until he had secured Hades' word or even possibly Lady Persephone herself.

"Then we shall meet you there," Hades consented reluctantly. He could not bear to allow Persephone to leave his side but he also could not leave this challenge unanswered. Hades knew undoubtedly that were she to even accidentally walk out of his sight for a moment then his lovely wife would be in grave danger. Zeus never let a rival, no matter how insignificant, live if he did not wish them to. But why demand she leave now? Why after all of this time has Zeus decided to renege on his pledge? After all, he was the one to say he never wanted to see Persephone again. It must be Demeter. It has to be. No way would Zeus willingly reinstate the one cause of his perpetual misery. And only Demeter would uproot such a problem for her own selfish needs. It would explain why there's been a sudden influx of souls recently. Not that Persephone knew that. And she wouldn't so long as he was involved.

The minute Hermes departed, Persephone spoke.

"What do we do?"

Sighing and embracing his wife, Hades answered, "We do the only thing we can do, love. We'll go to Mt. Olympus and plead our case."

"They won't listen," Persephone seethed, frustrated at their current situation.

"Sure they will. They won't have a choice," Hades assured falsely, trying to remain strong. He could not even think of the consequences should he fail to protect her. The reality of it was only all too real and the thought far to excruciating to ponder.

"No, they won't Hades. If Zeus is the one summoning us then you can bet that he has made everyone in that room believe you took me away from my mother against my will, and then forced me to marry you."

Hades remained silent. He knew Persephone was right even before she voiced the statement. When it came to Olympus, the Lord of the Underworld was trusted by no one despite his justly disposition.

Sighing, Persephone forcefully repressed her oncoming tears. "Tears will do you no good now," she thought to herself logically. "If we want a chance to plead our case then we can't give Zeus a chance to speak. Because you know as well as I that everyone in that room is on his side," Persephone argued bitterly yet reasonably, now that she had succeeded in replacing her previously depressed temperament with that of a commanding general before battle.

Hades held onto to Persephone tighter as he saw her fiercesome strength overcome the fear he knew was just underneath. "I know. I know," he muttered calmly, trying with all his might not just grab her and run. "Such an action would do our cause no good," he thought exasperated that he could not protect her. It went against every grain in his body for her to be in danger, and it took every ounce of his strength to evaporate to what he sorely hoped wasn't their impending doom.

On Mt. Olympus Zeus' throne room grew silent upon the Lord and Lady of the Underworld's arrival. All turned to gaze upon what they surely believed would the remnants of their once beloved sun-kissed Goddess of Spring only to be surprised when they took in the now healthy and womanly form of the now Lady of the Underworld; gasping when their friend stared levelly back at all of them, no longer frail and diffident in stature, but instead strong and fiery. To them Persephone had changed drastically, their once shy and timid spring goddess had now transformed into the confident and bold Queen of the Underworld. Surely this isn't the same person they once knew they thought. After staring into the eyes of every god and goddess in the room, Persephone spoke.

Softening, and throwing them a familiar smile, Persephone practically radiated with love. "My friends, how lovely it is to see you all again," she stated calmly, evaporating any doubt about her well-being from their minds, instantly lulling them into a relaxed state with her words.

"Unfortunately I wish that I could have returned to you under better conditions than this. For you see, all of you have gathered here today under the impression that Hades, my dear, dear husband, has wronged me greatly by taking me away from my mother. But my beloved friends you could not be more mislead," Persephone declared, a small smile lighting her face as she returned gracefully to Hades' embrace. "You see, my friends, I left my precious home that fateful night with Hades willingly with the full intention of marrying him. I left because I have loved him ever since that fateful childhood day when my beloved father, Isaac, invited Lord Hades to come to my cherished home. Ever since that day Hades and I have kept in contact, easily establishing a friendship that turned into more when I became of age. I love Hades and he loves me. So you see my dear friends, I have not been harmed in any way," Persephone divulged. A tinged of sadness flitting across her face as she spoke to the awe struck crowd, who watched with bated breath as she happily walked into her husband's loving embrace with complete ease.

Hades eagerly welcomed her back into his arms, feeling the panic within his chest subside now that she was close once again. With a sly glance at Zeus, Hades could see the anger and hatred ooze off of the King of the Gods. Looking around the room he could see the effects his wife's soothing words had on the other deities. Standing amazed as with just a small smile she was able to quell all of the tension within the room. When she spoke something else happened entirely; the hatred that had previously been directed towards him all but vanished, evaporating into the air as her loving demeanor took effect. Now, he understood why Zeus hated his beloved queen so passionately. With just a glance and a small timid smile Persephone had the other deities in the palm of her hand in a matter of seconds, a talent Zeus had never be able to possess. Hades tightened his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him while placing a tender kiss upon her forehead. Proud of his lovely Lady as he completed the façade she had set up effortlessly.

Persephone scanned the room analyzing the impact of her words on the individuals surrounding her. When her eyes fell upon her mother, her heart broke. In all her life she had never once seen Demeter look so defeated. And before she met Hades her initial reaction would have been to run straight to her mother and comfort her, but now Persephone had her own life independent of her mother, and she wouldn't just give it up all because her mother was melancholy. And should there be a fight, and there surely would be, Persephone was determined to put up one hell of a fight.

Turning to face her mother, Persephone's eyes filled with mock tears of hurt. After reluctantly untangling herself from Hades she walked slowly towards Demeter. "Mother, I am so sorry I put you through this. Believe me when I say I did not wish to cause you pain and that together Hades and I were planning to tell of our continued relationship but when Isaac died I could see how much pain you were in and didn't wish to worsen it. And believe that together Hades and I searched endlessly for you that night in order to divulge our plans for the future to you personally which we would have done if only we knew where you were. We looked everywhere for you, fruitlessly searching only to come up empty in every place we looked. Only did we depart the above realm for the Underworld when Zeus ordered for us to return, promising us that you would be found and that word of your safety would be sent. Mother, I'm so sorry for putting you through this. I never meant for things to happen in this fashion. I never meant to hurt you. I am so sorry for everything. Please, please forgive me," Persephone pleaded, skillfully blaming Zeus for their separation while delicately placing a hand on her mother's wet cheek.

Demeter sobbed quietly as she looked at her changed daughter. No longer was Persephone her small and innocent child, but instead she was everything Demeter had worked so hard to keep her from becoming. She had become a goddess of the night, forever feared and hated. This thought plunged Demeter over the edge, she sobbed loudly as she refused to believe this, grabbing Persephone up into a bone crushing hug. "Of course. Of course, I forgive you. How could I not? Now, come. It's time for us to go home."

Quickly pulling out of Demeter's embrace, Persephone muttered, "I can't.

Perplexed, Demeter stared at her daughter. "What do you mean you can't?"

"Mother, I can't come home with you because I'm married to Hades now. I love Hades. I really do. And he loves me. So, please don't fight this. Please, don't take me away my first love like you were taken from yours. Please, don't."

"Kore, please. Don't make me do this. Now stop your whining. It's time to go home. So let's go," Demeter stated exasperated, using the childhood nickname for Persephone. Not understanding why Persephone was all of a sudden acting so difficult.

Cringing at the use of the dreaded nickname she hated with a passion because it only served as a reminder of the fact that in Demeter's eyes Persephone was no more than a mere child, a child who had been betrayed by the very person she should have been able to trust. Pulling away from Demeter completely, Persephone exclaimed, "No."

"No," Demeter stated, raising an eyebrow. Persephone never said no to her.

"NO, mother. I am not going home with you."

"Yes. You. Are!"

"No, I'm not. And you want to know why, mother? Because I'm not a little girl anymore. I don't need you to take care of me. I am perfectly capable of doing that myself. I should know because for the past eleven years I've had plenty of practice," Persephone seethed furious at her mother's refusal to acknowledge Persephone's choice in the matter. "To long have I sat idly by as Demeter wreaked havoc upon my life, and then left it up to me to pick up the pieces out of the giant mess she's caused. Well then, if she's not going to take care of herself then I refuse to sit around, and watch her destroy everything," Persephone thought to herself.

Demeter eyes widened as her daughter's insinuation. "It's true that for the past eleven years I haven't exactly been up to par. But it's just that ever since Isaac's death I've been so lonely. Can't you understand that, Persephone? Can't you understand that I didn't mean for everything to get so out of control. It's just that I just needed company. I needed to make that broken part inside of me go away, even if it was just for a little while. But I understand what needs to be done now. And I can't do it alone. I need you, Persephone. I need you to come home so that everything can be how it's supposed to be," she revealed, tears staining her face. "So, please. Please, come back to me."

"You needed company. Really, mother. That's your excuse for everything that's happened for the past eleven years. The reason why so many nights I've come home and literally had to pick you up off of the floor. To clean you up and make you look like a goddess again. Really, that's your excuse?"

"Persephone, I'm…"

"Did it even cross your mind that maybe; just maybe, I was just as scared, and lonely as you? That maybe I needed someone to comfort me? Of course not. Why would it? After all what do I mean when compared to the only oh so wonderful company of some stranger in your bed? Some nameless john who doesn't give a damn about you. Nothing. After all, I'm just your daughter."

"Persephone."

"You know, I lost him to that day. Only unlike you, I didn't try to forget him immediately. Instead I tried to live the life that he would have wanted me to live. And now despite everything, I'm finally living it. And you want to take it away from me? I don't think so. My entire life I've never had someone care for me like Hades does. And I am not going to give that up just because you finally decided I was worth having. So which is it mother? Are you going to give up this ridiculous notion that I'm still a child and accept me and my new life? Or are you going to keep it and end up alone with only yourself and your bitterness for company? You decide because I've already made my decision."

"Kore, if you so much as think for one moment that I'm going to just let you walk away with that monster, then you are sorely mislead, young lady. Now, as for this ridiculous notion you think I have then you would be false. For you are not a goddess, but a child, a willful child, but a child nonetheless. And you will remain so until I see fit. Now, stop with absurd protest because you are after all, my daughter, and I will never cease fighting until you are once again by my side!"

Persephone and Demeter stared at each other; each one refusing to give. The tension rolling off the two made the room's other attendants anxious. After a pregnant silence passed Hades spoke for the first time.

Walking up behind Persephone, Hades possessively placed an arm around her waist. "She is mine," he thought while he stared at Demeter. Nonchalantly, he voiced the reason for his claim. "Whether Persephone wishes to return home to you or not is no longer the case, my dear Demeter. Because on the night of our marriage I asked Persephone if she would willingly eat the seeds of my beloved pomegranate. I asked her to do it because I love your daughter and selfishly I want to keep her with me."

Glancing up at her husband, Persephone muttered, "Hades."

Hades continued as if she hadn't said anything as he tightened his grip around her waist. But still looking at Demeter he said, "I never forced her to eat the seeds, and wouldn't have been able to even if I tried because like you said Persephone's extremely willful so my effort would never have worked in the end that on top of the fact that I couldn't live with myself if I ever did. I love your daughter, and made sure that before a decision could be reached the details pertaining to the action were fully disclosed. I made sure Persephone understood that eating the pomegranate seeds would forever bind her to the Underworld, and she would never be able to return to Earth. Persephone agreed to eat them anyway. She ate them because for some unfathomable reason she loves me. And I love her. And, I would never do anything to hurt her. So if there's anyone to be mad at. Please, take it out on me, not her."

"Oh, you can count on that," Demeter spewed disgusted.

"Mother," Persephone cautioned angrily.

"Silence Persephone. This does not concern you!"

"Yes, it does. It's my life!"

"I said be …."

"SILENCE!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

"SILENCE!" Zeus' command rang throughout the room, halting all speech emanating from its occupants. He had listened in disgust to the whole display Persephone and Hades put on for the other gods, and frankly he was quite impressed. He had underestimated them. When he discovered that Hades had actually made the little bitch his queen he couldn't believe it. He almost laughed himself to death. That is until he remembered the influence the Underworld had over his realm. The whole reason for sending her down into the endless depths of the Land of the Dead was to eliminate her interference in his life, as well as gain the trust of his most resilient brother by giving her to him. Sure he could see the attachment his mindless brother had developed for the girl, but Zeus had never in all of Olympus anticipated that Hades would actually fall for the little twit or that she would fall for him.

If Persephone ever told Hades the truth of what he did to her eleven years ago then Zeus knew that Hades would surely retaliate. And if he knew anything about his brother then it was this; Hades would never allow any action against his queen go unpunished. Looking back at the drama unfolding right in front of him, Zeus could see exactly how Hades planned to extract his revenge. By getting Persephone to eat the seeds of the pomegranate, she would forever be tied to the Underworld as well as its Lord meaning that she was never allowed to leave, at least not without Hades' permission, which he would never give because Hades protected those he loved fiercely. This action would, in turn, cause Demeter to grieve so fiercely a winter famine would surely occur, decreasing the number of sacrifices to the gods, and as a result, Zeus' influence over the other gods would diminish.

Glaring at Hades, Zeus thought to himself, "But there's one thing you forgot to take into account, brother. And that would be my power to interfere." Smiling, Zeus turned to speak for the first time. "Now it would seem as if we have a bit of a conundrum here. For now, we know that neither Hades nor Demeter would be willing to release their claim upon sweet Persephone."

Persephone glared up at Zeus from her place tucked against Hades' chest, fear filling her gut rapidly. She knew what would happen to her if she was to return to Earth. Scared, Persephone tightened her grip on Hades' arms.

"What to do? What to do? I know. My dear Persephone, exactly how many pomegranate seeds did you eat, darling," Zeus muttered before coming to a solution, turning to smile at Persephone impishly.

Glaring at Zeus, Persephone felt tears fill her eyes before she forcibly refused to let them fall. "Seven," Persephone whispered wishing with all her heart that it had been more, knowing it was useless to lie for it would only be cause them more trouble.

"Seven. Well then the answer is simple. For every seed you ate, my dear, you will spend a month in the Underworld, and for the remaining months of the year you will spend them with your darling mother. Now, how does that sound?"

Hades quickly covered Persephone's mouth with his hand as gently as possible muffling her answer to Zeus' convoluted question, deeply afraid the words she uttered would anger the King of the Gods further, and, therefore, make the punishment bestowed upon them more severe.

With his hand over her mouth, Hades whispering in her ear, "It's okay, love. We'll find a way out of this yet." Turning Hades quickly said to Zeus, "Yes, this arrangement will do. Now, if you'll excuse us, my wife and I are quite eager to spend the remaining time we have together in peace" before hastily pulling Persephone towards the entrance as fast as possible without attracting anymore unwanted attention, his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders. However, before Hades could get Persephone outside, Zeus answered with a threat.

"Of course. Go and spend your time together in peace. However, I do look forward to seeing you upon your return, Persephone."

Looking over her shoulder, Persephone shuddered at Zeus' insinuated threat.

With cold eyes, Demeter watched as Hades and her daughter turned to leave the room without a single glance in her direction. Still and silent, Demeter wished with her whole heart the meeting had ended with Persephone placed firmly by her side. If only she hadn't been so shocked when Hades revealed Persephone's willingness to eat those blasted pomegranate seeds then maybe she could have done more to keep her daughter. But what more could she have done when Persephone's actions clearly stated that she had absolutely no desire to share a home with her mother instead choosing to spend her life with that pathetic excuse for a god in that dreaded Underworld. Persephone chose him over her, Demeter, Persephone's mother. "That's right I am Persephone's mother. And I swear here and now on the River Styx that when I finally get my daughter back, I'm going to prove once and for all that Persephone belongs on earth with me, and not in the dark Land of the Dead with its disgusting Lord," Demeter vowed to herself.

Fueled by the determination within her, Demeter evaporated back to her home never hearing the threat Zeus casually directed at her daughter.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

Six months later Persephone found herself once again swallowing the fear she felt as she reluctantly prepared herself for her return to the world above her haven. Silently she willed herself to move as walked into the throne room where she would say her final goodbye to Hades.

Upon reaching it, she glanced around the room taking in all of the memories of the place she had hoped to call home for eternity not just a few measly months. While reminiscing, Persephone's eyes fell upon the one treasure she would surely miss the most, her husband, Hades. He was standing beside her throne staring at it while a small black wolf played at his feet.

A second later Persephone was standing next to him. Without wasting a minute more she cupped the back of his neck and pressed her lips against his with a sigh. She was definitely going to miss this. Immediately Hades responded by crushing his beloved wife in his arms, holding onto her so tightly she could hardly breathe.

They stayed that way until at exactly right before dawn, Hermes appeared.

"Lord Hades, I believe it is time to return Lady Persephone back to…"

Growling fiercely, Hades effectively cut off the rest of Hermes' statement, sending the foolish god scampering several feet out of the throne room in fear. Turning back to his wife, his heart clenched from what he knew was about to happen. Persephone would return to her undeserving mother's side where she would remain until five months have passed and only then could he reclaim what was his. Hopefully. Hopefully, that little word had haunted his mind ever since they had received the mandate on that fateful morning.

Squeezing Persephone closer to him, Hades unwrapped an arm from around her in order to scoop up the small wolf that had until this moment been forgotten at their feet.

"This is for you," he murmured quietly, pressing his fore head against Persephone's.

Looking down at the small pup in his hands, Persephone gasped in surprise as she stared at the tiny wolf she and Hades had rescued and then later adopted on one of their nightly excursions. "Hades."

"Take him. He'll protect you. I know he may be a bit small, but from the experience I've had with some small thing, I've come to learn that they are the fiercest fighters when it comes to protecting the ones that they love," he said smiling at Persephone, thinking back on one of their many training battles where Persephone, his significantly smaller better half had nearly killed him and ripped his throat out, which was not an easy accomplishment since she was facing an opponent three times her size and weight and had far more experience with fighting than she could ever hope for. "And should you ever need me for any reason don't hesitate to send him. He will find me. And Persephone when I say for any reason I mean it. I don't care if it's just to talk or if you're just lonely, you will send him because honestly, I need to see you so that I can make sure for myself that you're okay. And I don't want any of this trying to save Demeter from Zeus shit going on, okay, because you know as well as I that no matter what I will find out about it. If Demeter does something stupid or if for any reason Zeus shows up then I want you to run. Get to somewhere safe and stay there until I come and get you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Hades, I understand. And don't worry because I have made sure that a large abundance of narcissuses grow this spring. So should I ever fill the need to see you all I would have to do is pluck it from the ground and you would immediately be evaporated to my location. No matter where it is or how far or how many wards are place around it, you will always be granted admission."

"But wouldn't Demeter just be able to kill the flowers?"

"And to think that after all this time together I would have been able to erase all your doubt pertaining to me and my abilities. No, love, Demeter has not the power to destroy anything I create, because unlike her power my power isn't singular. My power is combined with the power belonging to three others deities who I have blood ties to; my mother Demeter, my biological father Zeus, and you, my husband."

"But we have never share blood before."

"No, you're right we haven't. However, I did bind myself to you by consuming seven seeds belonging to your beloved pomegranate which when dealing with a full-blooded goddess is the same thing. So technically I have. And I must say it was an activity I can't wait to partake in again."

Smiling Hades allowed his devious wife to draw him closer before kissing her for one last time. Sighing heavily they walked out into the hall where Hermes wisely waited for the couple silently.

Upon seeing them leave the throne room, Hermes saw both sets of eyes darken in anger. He couldn't really blame them for it because if it were him, he would have done the exact same thing. Only unlike them he wouldn't have had the ability or the power to stake his claim as aggressively as Hades had done. He really doubted that after such a fierce display that any foolish God besides Zeus and Demeter would try to persuade the newly established Queen of the Underworld that she did not belong with the powerful Lord of the Underworld. Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that they at least cared for each other, if not love. And to knowingly disregard that fact would only lead to trouble in the end.

Shaking his head at the injustice of it all, Hermes dutifully and a little reluctantly followed Zeus's orders to the tee. He did this because as much as he disliked his father's decision, he didn't want to be sent to Tartarus simply because he didn't follow his orders, but he also didn't want to disrespect the God behind him because he knew that Hades didn't need another reason to send him there until he decided to let Hermes go. Oh, no. He did not want that to happen.

So when the time came for Lady Persephone and Lord Hades to part, Hermes waited patiently and silently for the two to say goodbye one last time before evaporating the Spring Goddess and her furry companion to Demeter's Temple on the isolated island of Crete.

Four months passed on Demeter's island without event; Persephone would wake up, complete the same mindless tasks she was ordered to do by her mother long before that fateful night when her world was turned upside down, and then sit and stare off into space wishing every waking moment that she was down in the Underworld where her strange magical power was actually appreciated by someone she loved and cared for instead of ignored or criticized.

But as was typical for this time day, Persephone was sitting within her meadow of flowers bored out of her mind, while Adonis tried unsuccessfully to tend to her mother's garden without messing anything up. Just from watching him for the past five minutes, Persephone could already tell that he was beyond incompetent when it came to anything other than annoying her with his attempts to establish a "relationship" between them.

"Like that would ever happen," Persephone thought, wondering how on Earth the human in front of her had deluded himself enough to even contemplate the possibility of such a thing ever happening. "It would never happen because one, Hades is extremely captivating due to his phenomenal wit, two, he's ungodly handsome, and three, if none of the other things could ever do it for me, he's powerful beyond all reason, and on top of that I'm bound to him until the end of time. So it's pretty self-explanatory to me."

And it had been relatively easy to avoid any said attempts for the past four months, but now that it was common knowledge Persephone only had a month left up on Earth with her mother before she would finally return to her beloved Hades for the next seven months Adonis had become rather aggressive with his intentions. Turning away once more to look out over her massive field of narcissuses Persephone went back to reminiscing only to be interrupted by her mother's incompetent bed buddy again.

"Excuse me, Lady Persephone but I do believe it is time to return home now," Adonis said, displaying his best smile for her only to have it ignored for the Spring Goddess wasn't paying one iota of attention.

"Yes, I suppose it is. Well then why don't you run along Adonis, and I will follow after I've tended to some personal business," she replied with a flick of her hand while staring off into the distance.

"I'm sorry, my Lady, but I believe that such an action cannot be done because as of this morning, I have been charged with the duty of making sure you returned to your mother's homestead unharmed."

"Really, well that's funny because I do not recall such an action ever being needed before in the past."

"It's a new command Demeter has just established today. She does not want you running off by yourself anymore. Saying that should you be allowed time alone to yourself that you'll just use it to contact that despicable husband of yours."

"Despicable. This coming from the human, who was originally chosen to be the consort of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, only to somehow end up sharing nearly every God and Goddess' bed on Mt. Olympus; a human so low and vile that Tartarus itself would hesitate to allow you access. If I were you I would watch what I say from now on because when you die human, who exactly do you think is going to judge for your actions." After this was said, Persephone turned her back on Adonis once more before going back to watching Zev, her wolf, slink out from the shadows.

Adonis was angry. Never before in his life had he been treated with such disrespect or distain than he had by that disgraceful Goddess he was forced to watch over by order of Zeus. In fact when he had first been approached by the King of the Gods with the command, he was beyond exhilarated because Zeus had made it a point to never converse with him openly before instead deciding to keep their relationship a secret. Which had hurt, but Adonis understood the need for animosity for it wouldn't do to have the consort of Aphrodite openly exploiting his liaisons with Zeus.

But just before he could exit the meadow, Adonis recalled his real orders from Zeus; the order that should the opportunity present itself he, Adonis, was to destroy and or capture the Spring Goddess and bring her to Zeus.

Turning around Adonis saw the goddess had not moved from her spot in the middle of the field so silently he bent over to retrieve the dagger he had hidden upon his person before running up behind her as silently as possible. Then he struck.

After turning her back on Adonis, Persephone looked down at the narcissuses surrounding her, thinking back on the information Hades had sent to her via their connection with the flower. He had warned her to keep a wary eye on Adonis just in case he might just be stupid enough to try and destroy her. When Hades had first relayed this information to her, Persephone had barely contained her laughter but now that the fool actually attempting to accomplish such a feat, she was annoyed. Releasing a sigh, Persephone glanced back down at the flowers while bracing herself for Adonis' imprudent attack.

A second later, Persephone was jerked backwards as Adonis wrapped an arm around her waist and neck, pulling her into his body in order to maintain his balance. As she was being pulled backwards, Persephone dug her fingernails into the arm around her neck, drawing blood and causing Adonis to cry out. Angrily, he threw her onto the ground, grabbing her by the hair he flipped her over before pinning her down with his weight. Then after shifting the dagger to his favored hand, he struck, effectively slicing threw her skin like butter and causing Persephone to scream in pain. Adonis repeated this action three more times, each time causing her to produce an earsplitting cry, before he was suddenly launched off of her.

Slowly Persephone turned her head to look bleary-eyed at Zev as he pinned Adonis to the ground. Dazedly she watched as Zev bit into his shoulder with his sharp teeth and violently ripped a chuck out of it, causing screams to erupt from its victim, before turning back to lock its teeth around Adonis' neck.

After watching this display of savagery, Persephone carefully took to her feet, effectively distracting her wolf from killing Adonis. Walking over to it, she placed a hand on his head as she waved the other over her attacker's body magically asking the plants to help her restraint him. Seconds later vines containing poisonous thorns sprouted out of the ground, wrapping themselves tightly around Adonis's body as the thorns cut through his skin in order to inject their poison.

"Go, Zev. Go, you know as well as I what would happen should you get caught here," Persephone exclaimed while gently pushing him away from her spot in the meadow.

Shaking his head, Zev refused to move despite the danger he knew he was about to be in.

"Go! And inform Hades of the attack at least then you can return here," she amended, knowing that this was the only way to get him to leave.

Shortly after hearing his command, Zev shot off into the forest quickly dissolving into darkness.

After seeing her Zev leave the meadow, she returned her attention to Adonis.

"You're very lucky that I sent him away because if I hadn't you would have been acquainted with the sensation of being eaten alive, which I can assure you he dearly loves to do. But don't worry you'll still get what you deserve," Persephone uttered sadistically as she waved her hand over his immobile body.

"The thorns on these vines are quite poisonous, you know. So poisonous in fact that it could kill you in a millisecond with just a scratch if I hadn't slowed the spreading. At the rate it is now it should take approximately one hundred to two thousand years before it fully consumes your bloodstream and kills you which means that you will have a lot of time to think upon your actions. But in the meantime, as the venom slowly drips into you veins making it feel as though your blood is on fire, I don't particularly feel like dealing out the rest of your punishment so I'll just store you away until I do. I wouldn't want you escaping or Hades finding you because if he does I can guarantee that my punishment will seem like child's play compared to his. So just be thankful for that," she exclaimed with a twisted smile and an anticipatory gleam in her eyes.

Then with the wave of her hand, the vines around Adonis pierced through his skin and plunged into his body, eliciting a painful shout that was soon cut off by the vine that slithered down his throat. After the vines had a firm grasp on him, the ground opened up and consumed his body before resealing itself over his newly make casing as if there had never been a disturbance at all.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

Hades was sitting upon his throne judging souls when suddenly Zev raced into the room closely followed by Cerberus. Ignoring the soul in the room, Hades immediately walked over to the wolf he had given to Persephone for protection.

Kneeling upon the floor, Hades peered into Zev's eyes instantly surveying the memory presented to him. The room fell into a deadly silence as Hades viewed the memory before suddenly storming out of the room in a brutal rage. Followed closely by Zev and Cerberus, Hades instantly evaporated into the meadow containing Persephone and hopefully her attacker, who he couldn't wait to torture.

"Oh, yes, he will be screaming for the depths of Tartarus long before I'm done with him," Hades mused with a psychotic grin as both Zev and Cerberus growled at the scene before them.

Once within the meadow, Hades stared stunned as his wife waved her hand over her attacker enticing the poisonous and bloodthirsty vines wrapped around him down to thrust themselves through his skin and into his skeletal cavity where their lust for blood could be sedated and their poison could be more easily spread. Then the ground began to shake violently as it excavated itself in order to create a crude grave for Adonis. The ground continued to shake brutally as the vines forcibly drug him into the tomb before resealing itself above him.

Awestruck at the power demonstrated by his queen, Hades stood still with bated breath until Persephone looked at him. Then after sprinting the distance between them, he grabbed her up in an embrace, relief pooling into his distressing core.

"Don't you ever do that to me again, Persephone. Do you understand me," Hades demanded heatedly yet evenly as he tightened his arms around her, one hand tangling itself within her fiery hair while the other secured itself around her waist.

Upon hearing her husband's irate ultimatum, Persephone nodded her head where it was buried against the crook of his neck. Ignoring the pain emanating from her wounds, she compressed herself more firmly against him as she simply immersed herself in his presence. Closing her eyes, Persephone released the tight hold she had upon her magic and allowed it to flow around them until it finally entwined itself within the folds of Hades'.

Hades gasped as he felt Persephone's magic combine with his. The sensation created by the action was painful at first but after his magic had healed her wounds he was filled him with a sense of contentment. No longer did he feel disconnected from his queen or fear for her safety because their magic encased him with such a sense of pleasure that he practically purring.

Opening his eyes, Hades looked down upon his disheveled wife. Logically he knew that all her cuts were all healed but still he kneeled in front of her in order to see for himself. Running his fingers over the once gaping wounds, all that Hades could feel was a tiny almost undetectable scar to serve as proof that there had even been a laceration there at all. Gently he kissed each one before gathering Persephone up against his chest so that Zev and Cerberus could each pressed their nose against her forehead to ensure that their queen was unharmed.

After confirming that their Persephone was not injured, they encircled the two deities, creating a protective barrier between their masters and the Goddess of the Harvest, who was just now entering the meadow.

"Persephone, didn't I tell you not to use that blasted magic that brute of a m..," Demeter started only to cut off when a gasp of pure shock escaped from her lips as she saw her daughter locked in the arms of the one man Demeter hated with a passion.

"Persephone!"

"Yes, mother," Persephone inquired in a detached tone, lifting her head from its comfortable perch on Hades' shoulder.

"Get away from that disgraceful excuse for a god this instant!"

"Hmm. I don't think I will."

Demeter stood fuming as Persephone refused to cooperate once again, glaring daggers at the God with his arms wrapped around her innocent daughter.

"Demeter," Hades said evenly upon meeting her glare.

Demeter shivered upon hearing him say her name before dropping her gaze onto Persephone, who was staring at her mother distrustfully.

"Mother, I do believe we have a matter of importance to discuss," Persephone said, effectively recapturing her mother's attention.

"Such as?"

"Such as the fact that today while I was sitting in my fields Adonis suddenly attacked me for what would seem to be no reason at all."

"Adonis attacked you?"

"Yes, he did. He stabbed me four times with a dagger of his."

"Where is he now," she inquired, her face paling from Persephone's state. Now Demeter understood why Hades was glaring at her with pure hatred.

"Dead," Persephone said with a malicious grin.

If possible Demeter paled even more going stark white from shock, and if she had any doubt as to who exactly was responsible for killing her precious Adonis then simply by looking at the malevolent smirk on her daughter's face that doubt was erased.

"It would seem, Demeter, that when it comes to actually doing your job of protecting Persephone that you have been surprisingly lax. Not that that's a surprise to anyone here," Hades stated displeased.

At hearing this statement Demeter's eyes blazed in fury. "Now, you listen hear, you brute. I have done far more to secure my daughter's safety than you ever have."

"Really, then if that were the case then why exactly was there even an attack in the first place, and furthermore, why were you not among the first to arrive when it became clear to everyone that Persephone's safety was in jeopardy?"

"I was busy within my temple."

"Busy meaning you were bedding some other poor ignorant soul. Was that what you were doing while I was fighting for my life," Persephone uttered.

Demeter made no comment, instead choosing to fume silently and glare at her husband.

"Well then I guess Hades and I will just be leaving now," Persephone said while they all rose to their feet.

"Leaving? Persephone, you can't leave! By order of Zeus you are to reside with me for five months out of the year. It has only been four; you still have another month within my domain!"

"Whether she has another month or not no longer matters; what matters now is that Persephone returns to the Underworld where she will be protected from harm since it is clear that you are unable to perform the task," Hades sneered.

"No. No. No. I will not have this! The only way Persephone will return to you is by completing her five months with me or if Zeus commands it!"

"Then let Zeus command it."

And with that group within the meadow evaporated, landing in the middle of the Zeus' throne room.

It was midday when the group evaporated into Zeus' crowded throne room, automatically eliciting a startled gasp from its occupants when they appeared within the crowded room. They had not seen Lady Persephone, Lord Hades, or Lady Demeter since Persephone's return to the above world four months ago, and certainly couldn't establish a reason for them all to be here since none of them lived on Mt. Olympus. But before anyone deity could inquire as to why they had all suddenly appeared Zeus spoke.

"Lady Persephone, Lord Hades, Lady Demeter, what is the meaning of this," Zeus asked, masking the anger he felt upon their intrusion, his eyes settling on the Lady of the Underworld, who was clasped firmly against her husband's chest and protected by a large black wolf and Hades' three headed dog, Cerberus.

"The meaning, Zeus, of this unwanted appearance pertains to the fact that today my wife, the Queen of the Underworld, was attacked by none other than Adonis, Demeter's little human helper and your gift to her," Hades said prompting a gasp to escape from the mouths of the rooms occupants.

All at once the surprised deities murmured to each other as they shared glances between Persephone and Zeus before finally settling her gazes on their King, looking for an answer to this sudden issue that has been brought to light.

Narrowing his eyes, Zeus scowled, "So it would seem that Adonis has failed in completing his mission. Not that that was much of a surprise, the boy really was incompetent. It would seem that in this instance I have allowed my lust to cloud my better judgment now Hades will be even more suspicious of my intentions. And if it was difficult to persuade him to leave Persephone unprotected with Demeter before then it will surely be far more challenging to do so now. The opportunities to destroy the annoying little bitch are diminishing," he thought spitefully. If he was to come out of this situation with Persephone underneath Demeter's grasp then he would have to be extremely careful.

"And where exactly is Adonis now? He must be brought in for punishment."

"Dead. I killed him myself," Persephone said raising her chin in defiance against anyone who questioned her lack of ability to complete such a heinous act.

"Dead. Well, then it would seem that you have done my job for me, lovely Persephone," Zeus replied not even batting an eyelash when he found out that his most recent lover was dead.

"Yes, it would. Now that you have been informed of your lover's demise I would like to move on there are other issues that need to be discussed," she commanded regally.

"Other issues? Like what?"

"Like the fact that Persephone's safety has been jeopardized. This incident has only confirmed what I already previously believed prior to this incident. The only reason Demeter was allowed to even gain safekeeping of my wife without me declaring all-out war on her before was because my wife assured me that she would be protected as long as she stayed within Demeter's wards. Clearly it would seem that I made a mistake in believing Demeter was even capable of such a thing. And since it has been proven she is incapable of securing my wife's protection, I will be taking Persephone back to the Underworld with me where she will remain until I am convinced otherwise. Which I can assure won't happen," Hades declared heatedly.

Panicked Demeter desperately turned to Zeus. "Zeus, if that God leaves here with my daughter then I can assure you that by the end of the month there will be no humans left alive to make sacrifices to you or to any of the deities within this room. Do you understand?"

Zeus sat within his throne trying to concoct a plan that would satisfy his ends as well as reassure his subjects that all was well.

"Now, Hades let's not get too hasty here. Have you forgotten what Demeter will do should you take Persephone away from her?"

"No, I haven't. But seeing as how you have allowed my wife to be placed in the care of a Goddess who has become rather lax in regards to her own daughter's safety, I'm willing to take the risk. Persephone's welfare is the only thing I care about at this point in time. And if you really think for one second that I'm just going to walk away from this incident without her secured at my side indefinitely like she should have been before the attack then you are far stupider than I ever imagined."

"Well, while you may be willing to risk the livelihoods of my divinities, I, however, am not and therefore cannot allow you to leave with Persephone."

"And I cannot allow Persephone to stay, because as I've previously stated Demeter is incapable of protecting her."

"And what about Persephone? Is she not capable of defending herself? Because according to her earlier statement she clearly is."

All eyes in the throne room swiveled and suddenly the Spring Goddess found herself underneath the scrutiny of every God and Goddess in the room.

"The question isn't whether or not Persephone can protect herself; the question is, is Persephone going to be protected by those around her," Hades snarled.

"And she will as I've already told you," Zeus said exasperated.

The growl that reverberated out of Hades chest erupted into the room effectively drowning out what she had to say as his arms tightened around her until she was plastered against his chest. Not long after Zev and Cerberus joined in causing the surrounding deities within the room to tense.

"I don't trust you."

"Hades," Persephone whispered softly immediately grabbing his attention.

Hades looked down at his wife, who was flattened against his chest, knowing that when he gazed into her big green orbs that his resolved would instantly crumble. Sighing, he nuzzled her face whispering, "Persephone, you'll be the death of me, love."

Giggling quietly Persephone buried her fingers in his hair, pulling his lips closer until they locked together sweetly. Pulling back, she smiled before whispering, "I know."

Shaking his head and sighing, Hades moved down to nuzzle Persephone's neck.

"And don't worry, love. It's only for a month. And then Zev and I will be back in the Underworld with you and Cerberus once again. We'll be together, like we' supposed to be."

Not long after Persephone convinced Hades to drop the issue, she was back to being under Demeter's misguided safekeeping only this time she was prepared for Zeus' attack. Before she had foolishly believed it wouldn't happen but now she anticipated it. Persephone knew exactly what she was risking when she decided to return here but dammit she was tired of waiting. If Zeus was going to assault her then she'd rather it be now rather than later because then at least she wouldn't have to spend the rest of her life wondering when the blitz was going to occur.

"Zeus' opportunities to destroy me are diminishing right before his eyes and he knows it. It won't be long before he becomes desperate and strikes. And when that time comes I'll be ready."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

Three weeks have passed since Adonis had assaulted Persephone and yet there was still no sign of Zeus returning to finish the job.

"What was is taking him so long. I only have three days before I return to Hades so if he wants a chance at destroying me then now is the time because from then on I'll be protected by Hades at every turn," Persephone mused irately, shivering at the thought of her husband expressing his more dominant side.

"Now that I wouldn't mind," she thought lustily making her miss Hades even more. Ever since the attack Demeter hadn't allowed Persephone to touch her husband even though he showed up every day to make sure she was alright. In fact speaking of Hades it was about time for him to arrive for his daily inspection. Relaxing a little Persephone caressed the petal of a narcissus, Hades' flower, before standing.

But just as soon as she stood up Persephone was suddenly hit and knocked onto her back. Before she could scream Zeus was on top of her choking her with all of his strength. In a desperate attempt to get air Persephone summoned her poisonous vines to her and with a wave of her hand sent them flying at Zeus, wrapping around his appendages violently drawing ample amounts of blood but the effort was to no avail. Zeus had her right where he wanted her. Not even Zev could help her now because somehow Zeus had managed to erect a barrier around them that the wolf couldn't penetrate.

But suddenly just as Zeus was about to destroy Persephone, the ground started shaking. A second later Hades appeared and ran towards them.

Turning her head slightly Persephone could see Hades running toward them at top speed and screaming erratically with Cerberus following closely behind him snarling madly. With tears falling from her eyes and shaking her head, Persephone desperately willed her husband to leave, but knowing he wouldn't even if it meant fighting Zeus, a fight she knew would not end in their favor.

So summoning her strength, Persephone used Zeus' momentary minute of distraction to thrust herself forward, and grab ahold of one of his deadly thunderbolts then with her strength and magic Persephone rammed the thunderbolt straight into Zeus' chest, shredding his immortal heart and shattering his magical core. Then everything went dark.

As was usual at this time of day Hades left his office heading towards the garden in order to collect Cerberus so together they could check up on Persephone. He did this because one, he didn't trust Demeter to do her job right, and two; Cerberus would never forgive him if he left the stupid mutt behind while he went to see Persephone. Just after he had managed to collect Cerberus and was leaving for the above world, Hades felt the undeniable pull on his magic that symbolized that Persephone was in danger. Without a moment's hesitation, he evaporated to her meadow with Cerberus right behind him.

When he arrived on earth he wasted no time by darting straight towards Persephone, who was in the process of choking being choked to death, barely even wasting a glance at Zev who was trying desperately to break through the barrier surrounding Zeus and his queen. But he was too late. Hades could only watch in horror as his Persephone manipulated her magic and strength to seize one of Zeus' thunderbolts and plunge it into his chest.

Screaming Hades raced towards her only to be forced to the ground as Zeus' physical shell separated from his magical core in a fiery explosion that reduced the King of the Gods to tiny pieces which sparkled from his once never ending immortality.

With ringing ears Hades stumbled over to his wife who was lying limp and unmoving on the ground.

"Persephone. Persephone! Persephone, please. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up," Hades muttered over and over again in an attempt to receive an answer.

But when he received none words became impossible as gut wrenching sobs poured out of the Lord of the Underworld. Never again would he see her smiling or hear her laughing or feel her magic stirring around him. Never again would his existence have any meaning.

Crushing his broken and lifeless Persephone in his arms Hades wept.

When the other deity's arrived in the meadow they saw the King of the Underworld crying as he clutched his deceased queen to his chest while Zev and Cerberus encircled their distressed master protectively, growling at every God who dared to come near. As the scene before them finally unfolded in front of their eyes an uneasy silence spread throughout the clearing. All mourned the loss of their dead Queen of the Underworld that day. All except Demeter, who could not be found.


	15. Chapter 15

Allen

Epilogue

Down in the Underworld the Fates weaved their calmly, silently staring off into the lives of the souls they created.

Suddenly Lord Hades burst into the room furiously prowling towards the unmoving divinities.

"Where is she," he growled violently.

Without looking up from their threads, the Fates answer as one. "She is exactly where is supposed to be Lord Hades, underneath our guidance and gaze."

"Give her to me."

"That we cannot do, my Lord. This you know. We, Fates, cannot disrupt the future, not even for you, our fiercesome Lord."

"I don't care about what you cannot do. I want her back! She's mine."

"Yes, we know."

At the sound of no reply, Lachesis, Clotho, and Atropos gazed upon the God they respected most, watching unaffected as he drowned in his turmoil.

"Why," Hades whispered.

"It had to be done in order to preserve the Gods way of life."

Shaking his head, Hades fled from the room, knowing that no matter what he did, who he threatened, or what he said, that nothing would ever convince the Fates to give Persephone back to him.

"It's such a shame that it must end this way," Clotho stated.

"Yes, but you as well as I know exactly what would have happened to them should Persephone be allowed to live," Lachesis replied.

"Yes, together, they would have grown so powerful that the other Gods consumed by their jealousy would have destroyed them. Yes, it is far better this way," Atropos said.

"Yes," the Fates concurred together as they turned to gaze upon the glowing floating bodies of Persephone and Zeus.

"He'll forgive us in time," whispered Clotho as she gently streamed her fingers threw Persephone's hair.

"Yes, it won't be long now," breathed Atropos fondly.

"Soon, everything will fall into place, and the πάντα βασίλισσα will be established."

**Sorry all you Persephone and Hades fans for the ending but never fear for there will be a sequel which is coming soon. But in the meantime don't be afraid to read some of my other stories.**

**Beautifullywicked13 **

The End

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